Yumeiro Patissiere: Dream Colored Finale
by Yuki Penwright
Summary: Takes place after Yumeiro Patissiere Professional! Summary inside!
1. Ch 1 - A New Beginning

**Me: I know I know, you guys don't have to read and review just send me your hate. I don't know if you even remember this fanfic. There's no excuse really, the same as always: school, too busy, etc.**

**BUT despite how depressed I sound, I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY! And that is a promise! V(^W^)V Let me just say I FREAKING love every single one of you who has been reading my fanfictions! Not just this one too!** **That goes for _A Sweet Melody, New York, New York _and even my Shugo Chara! fics!_  
><em>**

**And let me just say this, I am COMPLETELY re-writing this story! I have improved writing skills this time, so it should be better than the chapter I gave you! :D**

**Again, guys, thanks so much~!**

**Hugs and Kisses,**

**Aoi (V^3^)V**

**And enjoy, DCF Chapter 1 Re-Write! I don't own anything!**

**~xXx~  
>THANK TOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED~! <strong>

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><p><em><strong>Takes place after Yumeiro Patissiere Professional! Kashino and Ichigo are opening their own shop in London's Marie's Garden. Dispite running a shop, the two are in a relationship, so they try to make time for themselves. However we cant forget about Johnny and Koshiro-san! They are not going to give up on them so easily. Will love, drama, and envy ruin their Relationship and their Shop? KashinoxIchigo<strong>_

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><p><em><strong>~A New Beginning~<strong>_

**Ichigo's POV**

You know, I honestly used to doubt that inspirational poster with the turtle crossing the finish line saying, "If you think you can, you can!". I mean, coming from a girl like me, I do the most stupidest stuff most of the time (Okay well, all the time) and those stupid actions come from me trying. Its like when I first entered St. Marie Academy, I screwed up before I even made it to the kitchen; in math class, science class, and even French class.

But then I started to wonder, "Maybe I _can- _with a little help!". I thought that after I met a little Sweets Sprit named Vanilla. Other than my family, friends and 3 teammates, Vanilla was literally always there for me when I needed it the most. I have really come a very long way, I know that for a fact. But then again, I just discovered that I wasn't even half way there when I received a phone call from Henri Lucas a long time ago.

"Next," I remember him saying. "I was thinking of building a Marie's Garden in London."

My uh, friend- friend? Yeah, friend! My friend, Kashino stood next to me as Sensei was speaking. "London? That's amazing!"

I heard Henri-sensei chuckle in the background. "Now, down to the point: would you and Kashino-kun like to run the main shop in the Garden?"

White puffs of air came out of my mouth, my heart raced and my face turned red. I was that happy. Without waiting for Kahsino's answer, I quickly answered, "Yes! Please let us do it!".

"Alright then, I'll call you later with more information."

After that phone call, I couldn't stop thinking of idea's for what kind of cake and sweets we're gonna do. Sometime, I'd even write notes down in class when Sensei's not looking or doze off and get scolded by Ameya-sensei.

Thankfully, was able to make it until I graduated high school. Henri-senei said the construction of the Garden would last until I graduated so both Kashino and I decided to wait. And _speaking_ of graduation...

"Finally, I would like to bring up one of my most honored students," Henri-sensei said over the mic. Over these past few years, she has improved so much along with her 3 other teammates, who I can see are in the audience. "She has won the Cake Grand Pix when she was in middle school, which made the world buzzing, and got to study in Paris for 2 years. And so, it is my honor to hand out the last diploma to, Amano Ichigo."

I didn't realize they called my name. Vanilla tapped my cheek with her small hand. "Ichigo, he called you!"

I quickly stood and walked towards the stage, thankfully without tripping. As I did, one by one, people started clapping. What made it so special is that they were clapping for me and _only _me. I wasn't at one of Natsume's recitals, I wasn't competing in the Grand Pix with my team or anything. I had the spotlight.

Henri-sensei smiled at me as he handed my diploma. "Congratulations Ichigo. As of now, you have completed your studies here at St. Marie Academy's Japanese Campus and here by graduated."

I smiled with my eyes starting to tear up. As I took the diploma out of his hands, again, people started to applaud, louder this time. There was cheering and whistling. I can say that I've never been so happy in my life. I feel like this is just the beginning.

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><p>"UGH! COME. ON. YOU. STUPID. LUGGAGE!" I can't believe I was fighting with myself struggling to close my luggage. When I finally did, I threw my hands up. "Victory!" I shouted.<p>

"The room is so empty..." Vanilla said looking around.

I followed her gaze. Rumi-san moved out a few days before me so I was all alone until today. I miss her already; she said she went back to her hometown and was preparing to move in with Takuya-kun. I wonder how she's doing...

As I moved my luggage and other things near the door, my phone started buzzing. I opened it and it was a text from, speak of the devil, Rumi-san.

_Hey Ichigo-chan! I'm in the middle school cooking classroom! Come and meet me as soon as you can!_

_-Rumi_

"Huh? Rumi-san is here?! Since when? And why didn't she tell me until now?!" I smiled what I knew was a goofy grin because I heard Vanilla giggle.

"Ichigo! You're still in your dress," She said stopping me as I headed out.

I looked down and saw that I was still wearing the pastel pink dress I wore during graduation, but I didn't care. "It's okay! Come on or I'll leave you behind!" I ran out of the dorm like there was no tomorrow.

**~xXx~**

I opened the door to the cooking classroom and the cool air surrounded me. Even though it was Mid-Spring, I ran here so fast I was sweating a little.

As I walked in, I noticed three things: 1.) It was pitch black. 2.) It was insanely quiet. And 3.) It smelled... good.

"Rumi-san? Are you here?" I honestly don't think it was a prank because the text was from Rumi's phone and she would never do something like that to me. I walked further into the room and bumped into something- or someone. That someone grabbed my shoulders and laughed. Wait a second, I _know _that laugh. The person released me and the light illuminated the room.

I rubbed my eyes a little and I heard, "CONGRATULATIONS ICHIGO!" I was so... I can't even describe what I felt at that time. All of my friends: Rumi-san, Kana-chan, Miki-chan, Sayuri-chan, Sayama-san, Rie-san, Nakajima-san and Youko-san. There were balloons everywhere, streamers, noise makers, music and of course, cake!

But wait... something is missing...

"Amano Ichigo," one person said behind me making me jump a bit.

"To celebrate your graduation from St. Mare," another one continued.

Then one last person said, "We've put together this party."

I couldn't help but to get teary eyed when my three Sweets Princes, who were dressed fancy I might add, bowed right in front of me and said in union, "Just for you."

"Come on you guys, I've cried enough today.," Was all I could say.

Vanilla came up to me smiling from ear to ear. "I'm sorry Ichigo, I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Chocolat, Caramel and Cafe came up behind her. "We all thought that you defiantly deserve something," Cafe said gesturing towards the food.

"As soon as the graduation ceremony was over, we all came here to prepare-desu!" Caramel was so cheerful as usual.

"After all you've been though, I guess we don't mind," Chocolat said with a soft face.

I wiped my eyes when Rumi shouted, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this party started!"

**~xXx~**

"I hope you already started packing," Kashino said as he took a sip of non-alcoholic champagne.

I sighed, "_Yes_ I did, thank you very much." Man, I don't know about you, but Kashino's just been acting... _weird_ lately. More sadistic somehow, I don't know.

Andou-kun laughed. "So, you're heading back to your hometown tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yeah. And Kashino is heading to his sister's mansion I think. Right?"

Kashino just shrugged. "Yeah... I guess..."

Now I'm curious. I sat down my champagne glass. "Are you okay? You've been acting strange these past few days."

He looked at me like it wasn't a big deal. "...What do you mean?"

I gave him an "are-kidding-me" look. "Come on, don't give me that- !"

Hanabusa-kun cleared his throat. "Kashino," he said. "Can we speak with you for a minute?" And then he and Andou-kun led him to the other side of the room.

I raised a curious eyebrow, but shrugged it off and walked over to Rumi-san and the others.

"So, are you excited?" Sayuri-chan asked eating a piece of cake.

"Of course I am," I laughed. "So how are you guys doing? Anything new?"

"Well," Rumi began. "I just moved in with Takuya-kun and I'm working on saving up for my shop by working at a cafe of a hotel owned by a relative of his owns." She turned to Kana-chan. "How's the shop going?"

Kana-chan blused a little. "It's going well. It's been a little busy, but Sen-kun and I have been managing it perfectly."

I smiled. "I can't remember the last time I've been there. How's Ichita-kun? I heard he's planning on enrolling in- "

"I SAID I WILL, NOW SHUT UP WILL YOU!" Kashino's yell echoed the room. I turned around and he was red. I couldn't tell if it was because he was mad or...

"Geez! What is with you?!" Now I'm starting to get mad at him. "Now you're starting to get mad all of a sudden?!"

Kashino looked at me, looking like he was trying hard to scream."I-it's not... I'm _not_ mad! Just leave me alone! It doesn't concern you!"

My friends were looking back and forth from him then me. Hanabusa-kun and Andou-kun looked at Kashino like he just made the worse mistake- which he did. I grabbed my shoulder bag and headed towards the door.

Rumi-san and Vanilla sounded like they were going to say something, but I slammed the door shut before they could stop me.

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><p>The sky was half gold half royal blue and the moon was peeking out of the horizon. The lake was glistening as I sat down on the bench beside it. I can honestly say I'll miss this place; this little park. The park where the day after we defeated Koshiro-san and Johnny on that stupid contest we had 2 years ago, I took a walk with Kashino. The park were we...<p>

"I knew I'd find you here."

I looked up and there he was, standing in front of me panting, still in the suit he was wearing from my party. I sighed.

"I came here to be alone." No, I didn't mean to say that.

"Look, Amano- "

"Save it Kashino. I'm just exhausted. I have a lot on my mind, save it for tomorrow okay?"

"No," he said holding out his hand. "I can't."

I felt my face turn red but brushed away his hand. "Fine, what do you want?"

He took my hand anyway and held it in both of his. They were so warm and larger than mine that I reacted and squeezed them, tight. "I'm sorry. I just... I just had a lot on my mind too."

"But of course you take it out on me like always..."

"You know I didn't mean it," he said softly. "...Look, we're leaving in two days so this is the only chance I've got."

I stared into his gold eyes, a few strands of his gold colored hair fell across them. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "We've been dating for almost 3 years now, we're both 19 and about to take the next step towards our dreams. I've been, what you call, "acting strange" lately because like I said, I've had a lot on my mind."

My heart started to pound. "O-okay..."

"I yelled at you back there because... Because I was nervous I guess..."

My hands were starting to sweat in his. The cool night breeze gave me chills but it helped a little. "Nervous about what?"

And then the unthinkable: Kashino got down in front of me on one knee and looked at me steadily in the eyes. "Never in my mind I thought I'd love a girl like you, but I was wrong. I never thought a girl like you would have so much passion doing what she loved, so much that it would impress someone like me, but I was wrong. I never, ever thought I'd be doing _this _to someone like you... but I was wrong."

My lips trembled as I spoke. "W-what are you..."

With his hands still in mine, I felt like time had stopped when he smiled and said, "Will you marry me Ichigo?"

I forced my hands out of his grip and stared. My mouth slowly fell open as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, blush colored box. Inside was a gold ring with a little raspberry colored heart shaped diamond in the middle. I felt like I was dreaming. Was he really doing this to me right now?

I covered my mouth and managed to muffle out, "Yes."

Kashino smiled and took out the ring with trembling fingers. As he stuffed the box back in his pocket, he grabbed my hand again, slipped the ring on my finger and pulled me up. My legs were shaking so much that I nearly stumbled on my white heels and made my bun loose, making my brown curls dance around the both of us. Kashino chuckled and pushed the hair out of my wet eyes.

"I can't believe you cried and didn't notice," he said in a hushed voice.

"You... you're unbelievable," I said burring my face into his chest. "I said that I've cried enough today!"

He lifted up my chin. "But it was worth it right?"

"Right..." I slowly closed my eyes and I melted into his kiss. His free arm was wrapped around me while the hand that was under my chin, grabbed my neck, pulling me in closer. Starting to feel like I was about to fall over, again, I leaned into him and gripped the front of his dress coat and I deepened our kiss just by doing that.

I felt like I was in another world. I mean, every girl dreams of getting married to the one they love, even if they sometimes think that they'll never find that one true person. I thought that so many times that I started to believe it was true. But I guess I was wrong.

When we broke apart, we smiled at each other. "Are you nervous?" He asked.

I didn't even bother asking what he was talking about. I shook my head, "It's a new beginning, why would I be nervous?"

Kashino slowly leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, "I love you, Ichigo."

For the first time in my life, I felt like I didn't have to worry about anything at all. "I love you too... Makoto."

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><p><strong>This honestly took me about 3 hours! XD With the proposal scene, even I was fangirling. And I've obviously been reading too many books to make a good kiss scene. X3 Anyway, I'm glad you guys are still reading and I love you all for that. Here's some story statuses! <strong>

**_Dancing with Demons (Shugo Chara!) - Chapter 2 in process_**

**_Sweet Melody(Yumeiro Patissiere) - Chapter 6 in process_**

**_The Reason Why I Smile (Shugo Chara!) - Haitus!_**

**_New York, New York (Yumeiro Patissiere) - Haitus!_**

**_I am Me (Shugo Chara!) - Haitus/In Process_**

**_From Me to You (Pokemon) - **_Haitus/In Process_**_**

****Again, thank you all so much!****


	2. Message from Aoi!

**So after a two... three year haitus, I've finally updated! A lot of things have happened!**

**Aoi is now 14 years old.**

**Aoi is currently in her 3rd marking period in 8th grade.**

**Aoi and her school is preparing for the NJASK test in April.**

**Aoi is graduating Middle School this year!**

**Aoi is starting to choose courses for high school!**

**Aoi is planning on doing school counseling or getting a major in English to become an Author!**

**Aoi is currently obsessed with Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter's Saga aka The Mortal Instruments!  
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**Aoi is also on Tumblr 24/7! (Follow me if you haven't! .com)**

**I suddenly had the idea for the re-write of DCF when I was in class one day so I didn't hesitate to write and publish.**

**Aoi completely understands if you no longer read this or what ever but if you still are, it means a whole lot!**

**Thanks everyone, you're the best~! **


	3. Ch 2 - All Grown Up

**Hey guys, I know its been a while! Aoi is gonna be busy for a while! I have State Testing coming up, my Washington DC Trip in early May, Student Council stuff and promotion/graduation. Even so, r****eady for Chapter 2? :D I DONT OWN ANYTHING!**

**~xXx~**

_**Reviews**_

_**xFangirl-Chanx - I'm glad you did! :'3**_

_**RedNeko22 - Thanks for reading! **_

_**Lilyrain - Thank you! :3**_

_**Neko-chan2604 - Finally I meet another fellow Shadowhunter! X3 I've (along with my sister) only started TMI around Mid-December of 2012 and was COMPLETELY addicted! And I'm SOOOO ready for the movie this August! Gonna see the Mid-Night premiere (The Nephilim are gonna take over that night! lol)**_

**_StrawberryDream15 - Hana-chan~! :D I'm glad you're still reading my stories! I understand how busy you are so take your time to read, no need to rush!_**

**_bakamonostalgic167 - Thank you! ^^ Its good to be back!_**

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><p><strong>~All Grown Up~<strong>

**Normal POV**

As soon as she woke up early that morning, Ichigo stood in front of that statue of the Queen of the Spirits for almost 10 minutes. Vanilla could completely understand why; they were about to leave to Nijigaoka any minute.

"It's almost nostalgic you know?" She said to her Sweets Sprit. "Its like it was just yesterday I came here and now..."

Vanilla nodded with agreement. "The first time I saw you is when you placed that madeline on the Queen's statue. After that, I started following you around. I'm glad I did."

Ichigo giggled. "Is that so? But in my case, after I did that, I met Rumi-san. After her, Hanabusa-kun and then Andou-kun and..."

"You called?" Ichigo jumped when her fiance came out of no where and wrapped his arms around her.

"Okay, I love you but please don't do that again..." She said clutching her chest.

Kashino laughed. "Sorry, but I had to interrupt you sometime. The bus is almost here so we have to get going okay?"

The brunet girl nodded at him and her spirit. "Okay, but can you just give me a minute?"

"As long as I don't have to pretend that I don't know you when you chase after the bus, all right." With that, he gave her a little peck on the cheek and walked out the gate with Vanilla and Chocolat right behind him.

Ichigo turned back and took one last look at the statue and smiled. As she walked up towards it she pulled something out of her pocket. "Here's a madeline your Highness. And this time, _I'm_ the one who made it..." Then she took the handle of her luggage and ran out.

**~xXx~**

"Are you ready?"

"Ha! I should be the one asking you that! Look, your hand is already sweating in mine!" Ichigo released her hand out of Kashino's for a moment to show him just how "nervous" he is. "You've already met my family, more than once too, this should be no different."

Kashino blushed. "I know that, it's just that... You know."

Her face turned pink. "Yeah... But we'll be alright."

As she rang the doorbell, already there was the running of footsteps though out the house. Immediately, Natsume answered the door and tackled her into hug before even noticing Kashino next to her. "Onee-chan! Welcome home!"

Ichigo stumbled a little and laughed. "Good to be back!"

Natsume took a step back and saw Kashino. "Hey there! No hug?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you nice to me?"

"Take it or leave it!"

"I'll leave it for now."

"Fine," She sighed. "Anyway, you guys head inside, I'll get your things!"

The two of them walked in as Natsume went past them to get their luggage. "Mama is in the living room and Papa is in his studio!" She called out.

Ichigo nodded and walked on ahead while Kahsino -despite Natsume opposing him- helped her with the stuff.

A women, who is practically the older, mature version of Natsume, came out of the living room. "Ichigo! Welcome home!"

Ichigo couldn't help but run to her mom and pull her into a hug. "Hi Mama!"

While Kyouko stroked her daughter's hair, she looked up and saw Kashino as he was having a friendly conversation with Natsume while dragging over the bags.

"Why don't you leave those there everyone," she said. "For now, lets talk in the living room."

**~xXx~**

"You guys are leaving first thing tomorrow?" Kyouko was surprised as she placed the tea down on the table.

Ichigo nodded as she placed down her third slice of cake. "Yeah, we want to get to London before the morning after and get started right away."

Natsume picked up her tea. "But seriously, you guys just came in. I wish you'd settle down at least..."

Ichigo gave her sister a meaningful look. "I'm sorry... Oh, by the way, why isn't Papa out here?"

"He said he's working on something really important. I told him you two were coming home and he just said, 'Okay'." Kyouko sighed. "Do you want me to get him?"

Ichigo glanced at Kashino next to her and grabbed his hand. "Should we just tell them first then him later?" She whispered.

"It'd be even harder if we do, for me especially," he shrugged.

"Okay you two, something's up. What is it?" Natsume gave them a suspicious look as she cut a piece of cake with her fork.

Kyouko sat down next to her. "You have been more quiet than the other times you were here. Is everything alright?"

"Actually, I- uh... We..." Kashino started but Ichigo stopped him, leaving him confused as she smiled.

"I'll handle this!" And she turned to her mom and sister. "So you wanna know what's up" she asked in an excited voice and she showed them her hand with her ring before they could even reply.

Immediately, Natsume dropped her fork and screeched, "_SHUT! UP!"_ Her mouth dropped open and her cheeks lit up. "Shut up! Oh my God! You're kidding!_"_

A few seconds later, Kyouko's hands flew up to her mouth. "Oh my goodness, Ichigo!"

Kashino sighed, relieved that it didn't take longer than he hoped. He wrapped his arm around her and nodded.

"When did this happen?! Onee-chan, you getting married?! Oooh, can I be a bride's maid?" Natsume was about to run around the room in excitement.

Ichigo laughed. "...Oh Mama, come on, don't start with that!"

Kyouko grabbed the tissues on the coffee table. "I'm sorry honey it's just..."

_"Ichigo..." _The tone in her dad's voice was so weird to Ichigo, she never heard him like that before. He was standing by the living room entrance in his usual clothes but as far as Ichigo can tell, he really has been working in his studio judging by the dry paint on his hands.

Ichigo felt Kashino tense next to her. Slowly, she stood with her hands close to her chest. "Papa! We're home!"

Shigeru stared at his oldest daughter but quickly looked away. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Welcome home..."

Hearing Kashino come up behind her she said, "I um... We have something to- "

"It's okay," Shigeru said cutting her off. "I already heard..." And he started walk back the way he came.

Ichigo suddenly felt a cold pit in her stomach. "But, Papa..."

"It's alright sweetie, I'll talk to him." Kyouko placed a hand on her shoulder and ran off after her husband.

For a while, it was quiet in the living room. Natsume just sat on the arm of the sofa, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. Vanilla came next to Ichigo and whispered her name just before she took off after she heard her mom shut the door of her dad's art studio.

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><p><strong>Ichigo's POV<strong>

I tried hard to get my breathing back to normal before I leaned my head on the door. Why did Papa look so... pained back there? I thought he'd be...

"Going to London is one thing, but now she's engaged?!"

Mama sighed at Papa's words. "You've acted this way before she went to Paris, are you seriously going to make us go through it again?"

"You don't understand Kyouko, this is a completely different situation!"

I've never heard Papa talk like that before, especially when it's Mama.

"Oh, like I don't understand why _my_ father acted they way he did when _you_ asked him if you could marry me?" She said throwing his words back. "Darling what has gotten into you? Are you not happy for Ichigo at all?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm happy for her!"

That sent a wave of relief through out my body.

"It's just that... _Ichigo..._ She's already 19, she graduated, she's moving out and going to London, and now she's going to get married? Kyouko, our daughter -our first born- is all grown up!"

"Shigeru..."

I always knew Papa dotes on Natsume and I all the time because he loves us, because we're his kids. Though I never realized that this was what it's like to be a parent and that this is really hard for him.

I didn't realize that I was starting to tear up a bit. I brushed the back of my hand against my eyes and walked back to the living room. When I got there, it looked like Natsume went to her room because she wasn't there.

"Vanilla," I quickly said. "Can you come with me?"

Kashino walked up to me. "Hey, everything alright?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But I'll tell you later. You think you can stay here while I work in the kitchen?"

"Work on what?"

"You'll see," I said and called Vanilla to follow after me.

"What's going on Ichigo?" She asked me.

"I have a plan!"

**~xXx~**

"Not now Kyouko," said Papa on the other side of the door.

Not even saying it was me, he assumed it was Mama. I knocked again and this time he opened it.

"I-Ichigo!" Papa's face was surprised. "What is it? What do you want?"

"Um, can I come in?"

We stared at each other for a while then his eyes drifted over to the lid-coved plate in my hand. "I'm not really hungry right now so- "

"Please?"

He sighed and made way for me to come in. The smell of paint filled the whole room and it was so familiar. It wasn't like the art studio back at St. Marie. I looked around and saw a tarp covered over a canvas and easel. He doesn't usually do that unless it was a private projects but I get the feeling it was something else...

"What is it Ichigo?" He asked again.

"I need to talk to you."

"I already know about- !"

"I heard you talking to Mama earlier."

Papa gave out a small gasp. "...W-what about it?"

I sat down on the other stool and placed the plate on my lap. "Remember after I quit piano, you offered to teach me in your studio? I remembered I was so excited that since Natsume got to learn from Mama, I would learn from you."

I looked up at him. He was now sitting on the stool across from me, looking at me with a hardened face.

"I honestly thought it was really cool how you can make something so beautiful using simple colors," I continued. "I thought that I'd be able to create something better than you. After a few tries, I started to give up because I realized it was impossible to be like you. Now that I look back at it -even though I was really young- that was really pathetic of me. And though I might sound rude for saying this, but I'm glad I gave up. After all, I wouldn't be here where I am if I didn't."

Finally, I removed the lid off the plate and the smell of strawberries wrapped around us like a child wrapped in a blanket.

"I don't remember the last time you tried my strawberry tart, so I made some." I handed him a slice and a fork.

He took it from my hands and stared back at me. Before he could speak I said, "Hopefully this can explain one thing, that no matter how old I'll get, I'll always be your little girl."

For a while, Papa kept staring at me before he cut a piece of the tart and ate it. His face seemed to relax as he sighed. He slid the fork out of his mouth and swallowed.

"You know for a while," he said. "I was wondering where you'll go after you came back from Paris. I thought, 'Where's she going to go next?'. When you told us when you were going to London, I decided to let fate take it's course and I wouldn't get in the way of your dreams. Unlike my mother and your Uncle, I decided to go with art instead of cooking. You're just like me, unlike music or art, you decided to go your own way."

Papa placed his plate down and stood up. "You really _are _my little girl."

My eyes burned behind my lids. I got up and hugged him tight. I heard him take in a sharp breath and he held me against him. I can't remember the last time I cried on him like this. Knowing me, probably since I was 5.

Papa, wiped his face and then mine. "I can't believe you're all grown up. It's like you were just born yesterday."

An old cliché but at this moment, very true.

"Come on," he said wrapping his arm around my shoulder and walked out the door.

He brought us to the living room where Kashino, Mama, and Natsume were waiting for us. They all looked up at us but then their faces softened when they saw how happy our faces were.

Papa dropped his arm and said, "Kashino."

I tensed when I heard his tone. You can probably guess that it didn't sound good right? Kashino stood up from the sofa and he looked just as nervous as my mom and sister.

"Yes sir?" He said calmly (I'll have to give him credit for that).

"Come here."

Kashino hesitated at first but walked up towards us. He looked at me with a worried look and I gave back a look that says 'I don't know.'. " Which I don't honestly. After such a heartfelt conversation with Papa, I don't understand what's with the sudden mood change.

Papa grabbed his hand and my ringed hand and joined them together. "I'll give you one chance," he said. "If she comes home crying and I hear just the slightest sound of your name out of her mouth, you'll defiantly pay."

I choked out a playful laugh. "Papa!"

Kashino was more relive than I was. "Does that mean?"

Papa went to sit between Mama and Natsume and nodded. "Yes, I give you my blessing."

A cheer from Natsume, Vanilla, and Chocolate broke out. Mama laid her head against Papa's shoulder and mumbled, "You're an idiot." making him smile. I heard Kashino suddenly laugh, I didn't blame him, after all that's happened, its like it was all a joke that from a serious, heart pounding moment ended with relief.

And I couldn't help myself from laughing along with him too.

* * *

><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

The next day early in the morning, Ichigo, Kashino, their friends and family were at the air port, seeing the two of them off.

Their friends were all flocking around them, saying their goodbyes and tears of happiness.

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Was what most of them said.

Rumi said something different though. "Let me be your maid of honor!"

Ichigo laughed and turned to her family. "Wait, where did Papa go?"

"He said he forgot something in the car- Oh wait, there he is!" Kyouko said after she looked around the area.

Shigeru was running towards them with what looked like a medium-sized square wrapped in pink wrapping paper and a red bow in his hands. "Sorry, I had to get this." And he handed it to Ichigo.

"What's this?" She asked smiling.

"Did you not see me with paint all over me yesterday?"

Ichigo placed the placed her gift down for a minute and went to hug her dad one last time. "Thank you, Papa."

"You better be careful out there. And at least call or mail us once a week! And remember- !"

Ichigo laughed and shook her head. "You don't need to worry about anything." She bent down to pick up her gift and luggage handle with one hand and Kashino's arm with the other.

With one last look at their loved ones, Ichigo and Kashino headed to the plane-gate entrance.

"You ready?" He asked her.

She gave him a confident nod.

**~xXx~**

Some time during the whole plane ride, Kashino fell asleep. While she had the chance, Ichigo decided to see what was it that her dad made her. Carefully she tore through the wrapping paper and gasped.

It was a painting of her: The background was the city of London. Her back was slowly turned to it, but her face was looking back at the viewer of the painting. She was wearing a flowy white dress and had angel wings on her back. And her arm and hand was extended as if she were touching Big Ben as it stood high from the ground.

But what made Ichigo even more happy, on the extended hand, there was a slightly wet paint smear on her ring finger that was the color of her engagement ring.

* * *

><p><strong>I was finally able to finish this before the end of the day! So testing starts tomorrow and this chapter is a little long for your enjoyment! I love every single one of you and thanks for reading!<strong>

**Did you see the new Story Picture? It's the cover of volume 11 manga! Aren't Kashino and Ichigo the cutest?!**

**And if you haven't yet, follow me on tumblr! My link is on my profile! ;3**

**Be sure to review! It would mean lot to Aoi!**


	4. Message from Aoi! - 2

**Hey everyone! It's Aoi again! I just have to make a quick update on what's going on!**

**Aoi just graduated yesterday (6/17) from Middle school! And is very tired! A lot has happened in my two years in middle school and I can't believe it's over, not to mention the fact that I'm gonna be in high school starting this Fall.**

**(I'm surprised I didn't cry!)**

**Aoi and her friend got the HPMS (dats the initials of my school) Leadership Award! And I got $50 from the school! Not much to you but it is to me!**

**For my high school electives, Aoi is taking Creative Writing, hopefully it will help a lot!**

**Moving on from school, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie is COMING OUT IN TWO MONTHS! AHHHH~! I CANT WAIT! They also moved the American release date to August 21 instead of August 23! GO SHADOWHUNTERS!**

**Aoi is making a ton of plans too, so as much as I want to update, it might run a little slow! BUT for you guys, I'll do my very best!**

**Here are the statuses of my on-going stories:**

** DCF - In progress**

**I am Me - Hiatus**

**Sweet Melody - In progress**

**From Me to You - Hiatus**

**Reason Why I Smile - Hiatus**

**Dancing with Demons - Hiatus**

**New York, New York - Hiatus**

**WAHHHH SO MANY STORIES ON HAITUS! ;~; I feel pathetic! Ugh, get a grip Aoi! Yeah so basically, only 2 stories are in the works... Ehehehe...**

**GOMEN MINA!**

**Okay now that that's settled, it's time to start Summer Vacation! If you already started or you're waiting to start, Aoi wishes you the best!**

**Have fun!**

**~ Aoi**

**(Follow me on Tumblr, I'm ALWAYS on there! anpanchii dot tumblr dot com) **


	5. Ch 3 - Hello London

**Enjoy chapter 3! Aoi got her laptop (FINALLY) so I can work on my writing as much as I can! I don't own anything!**

**~xXx~**

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED! ;)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>~Hello London~<strong>_

**Normal POV**

Even when they got to their apartment, Ichigo was completely exhausted. It was about an 8 to 10 hour flight, that was including their second plane from Paris to London. Kashino wasn't entirely surprised, for he knew Ichigo was the that type of girl. Plus, she did sleep through out the entire flight to Paris from back in middle school during the Grand Pix.

Ichigo was able to bring their stuff inside their new apartment, but immediately collapsed on the sofa. She was able to look around at the place though: a small living room connected to a fairly sized kitchen -perfect for their situation too- a half bathroom to the left of the living room and stair cases to the right of the kitchen leading to 3 bedrooms and a full bathroom. The interior color was similar to the one in Paris back then, but the light blue was almost to a white.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized, rolling her head against one of the sofa's pillows. "I know we should start unpacking, but it's been a long day and..."

"No need to apologize Ichigo," her Sweets Spirit Vanilla said quietly, "We know how you are."

"But the Welcoming Party is tonight and the Marie's Garden grand opening is tomorrow and- "

"Relax Ichigo," Chocolat said sitting down on the sofa's arm. "It's only 7: The party starts at 9, you can sleep for an hour till 8 and get ready afterwards."

"But..."

"Chocolat is right, you'll be able to rest for a while at least right?" Kashino flopped himself down next to Ichigo and wrapped his arm around her.

Ichigo looked up and smiled at her fiance, "You sound tired yourself."

Kashino gave her a weak smile and pushed a strand of brown hair from her face, "Not as much as you."

Ichigo heard Vanilla whisper something and saw her and Chocolat leave for the kitchen in the corner of her eye. She laid her head on Kashino's chest, her eye lids starting to get a little heavy.

"Still," she managed to say through her drowsiness. "How can I sleep when there's so much to look forward to? The party, the grand opening, the shop- there's a lot to do and so little time! I- "

"Calm down," he said gently, stroking her hair. "Did you forget that I'm here? Everything will be _fine_. If you worry like that, it'll make me worry."

After a while, Ichigo eventually did fall asleep. Kashino slowly laid her down against the pillows and her legs and feet on the cushions. He told Vanilla and Chocolat that he was gonna start bringing the luggage upstairs. After he brought Ichigo's things to her room, he brought his stuff to his room and starting unpacking.

_Everything will be fine, _he thought to himself. _I'm not even sure..._ As he started folding his clothes into the dresser his mind suddenly went off to the night before they left for London.

_*Flashback*_

_"It's good to see you again Makoto," his sister Miyabi said pulling him in for a hug._

_"You too Aniki," he said hugging her back. "How you feeling?"_

_Miyabi giggled and placed a hand to her 8 month old pregnant stomach. "She's more active and giving me a hard time but I'm hanging in there."_

_As the two siblings sat in the living room of Miyabi's ginormous mansion, her husband Muraoka went to the kitchen to prepare some tea._

_"How is everything?" She asked her brother._

_He shrugged. "Fine I guess."_

_Miyabi gave a small smile. "How's Ichigo-san?"_

_"She's alright. She's at her parents for the night."_

_Miyabi smile grew. "Did you do it?"_

_Kashino blushed. " Yeah..."_

_"And..?"_

_"She- she said yes," he muttered out.  
><em>

_"That's great!" Myabi cheered, clapping her hands together. "I'm happy for you Makoto!"_

_"Thanks. And about that, that's also the reason why I came here tonight."_

_Miyabi's face fell and didn't blink when Muraoka placed the tea on the coffee table. "It's about Mother and Father isn't it?"_

_Kashino flinched at the mention of his mother and father and nodded. "Yeah..."  
><em>

_"You didn't tell them Makoto?"_

_"Why would I?" He __scowled. "They didn't approve my relationship with her when I told them we were dating, so why the hell would I tell them I wanted to marry her?"__  
><em>

_"...What did Ichigo-san's parents say?" Miyabi asked after a long silence._

_Kashino let out a breath. "They approved. But still... mom and the old man..."_

_"Makoto, listen to me: You're 19 years old- almost an adult. And because you're almost an adult, you are capable of making your own decisions without anyone to tell you yes or no. I am not saying that you should not tell Mother or Father about your engagement, but if you happen to do so, you should _never _let their opinion change your feelings and choice. Do you understand?"__  
><em>

_"Aniki..."_

_"You're my brother Makoto and I love you, so I wanna help you in any way I can. But at times like this, you're on your own."  
><em>

_"Thank you Aniki," Kashino smiled. "But for now, can you keep this to your self? Don't mention this to them at all?"  
><em>

_Miyabi nodded. "My lips are sealed! However, if under any __circumstances that they do find out, I cannot change that fact and you have to confront them yourself, understand?"_

_"Yeah."_

_*End of Flashback*_

Kashino finished putting the last of his clothing in the dressers and put his suit case in the closet. He took a quick glance at the digital clock on the side table, 8:10PM. He went to the back to the dresser and pulled out the clothing he planned on wearing tonight and laid them on the bed. As he walked towards the door, he grabbed a towel as well and, hoping it will wash away some of his tiredness, headed to the bathroom for a shower.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo's POV<strong>

"Ichigo wake up, it's time to get ready!"

I blinked slowly and raised my head, having Vanilla the first thing I see. "It's 8:30 and you have to get ready for the welcoming party!"

My eyes shot open and I gasped. "Oh my gosh! Where- " I looked around and remembered that we arrived at our apartment in London right after our flight. I sighed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "Where's my luggage?"

"Kashino brought them up," said Chocolat. "He just got out of the shower and he's getting dressed."

I craned my neck and got up. My legs felt really wobbly and started to have second thoughts in wearing heels and wear flats or sandals instead. I managed to make it up the stairs and went to the second open bedroom door that I guessed was mine. And as much as I wanted to belly flop on the bed, I lifted my luggage on it instead and started digging for my dress I was gonna wear tonight. I eventually found it, the light blue sundress with off the shoulder straps. I knew I didn't have much time for a shower so I decided to use the face cleanser and cotton balls instead to get any dirt off my face. After I slipped on the dress, I curled my hair, tied it and, let it lay on my left shoulder. I put on these cute earrings Rumi-san got for me and my angel wings necklace Natsume gave me. And of course, I'm wearing my heart shaped engagement ring.

After spraying on sprits of perfume, I slipped on my white sandals and grabbed my white shoulder bag and walked out my bedroom door. Before I went down the steps, I bit my lip nervously and asked Vanilla, "How do I look?"

She giggled. "You look amazing!"

"B- but what if I trip down the steps again?"

She took my finger and pulled my hand towards the railing. "Hang on to this, steady your breathing and take one step at a time, there's no need to rush."

I did as she said and slowed down my breathing. Once I did, I started to head down the stairs. I wonder what made me so nervous. Maybe because I was worried I would fall and I was looking so nice, or that Kashino would be waiting outside or something, or if it was my wedding and I was walking down the- wait wedding? Nononono, its to early for that! I may be engaged but a wedding is too soon and- ! I gripped the railing harder and tried to focus. I let out a gasp of air once I made it to the bottom.

"You sure took your time coming down," Kashino laughed as he grabbed my shoulders.

I blushed. "I- I ugh, shut up!"

He laughed again and pulled me away. "You look beautiful."

I felt my face turn a deeper red. I don't know, ever since we started dating, he's been acting more, kind and romantic. Not that I don't like it it's just that, I can't believe I'm saying this, I miss his mean, sadistic side.

"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself!" I looked at him: white dress shirt and tie and jeans, casual. That's what Henri-sensei wanted at least. It's not like we were going to a ball, just a regular non-formal party.

He smiled and held out his hand. "Ready?"

I smiled back and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be!"

_**~xXx~**_

The Marie's Garden in London wasn't that different from the one in Japan. Think of it as the Disney resorts; the one in California isn't as big as the one in Florida. The one in Japan is _slightly_ bigger than the one in London. Maybe because of Koshiro-san's shop.

The party was held in a tent right in the main entrance. Tables and seats were set up, there was a small stage right in front of the fountain, a DJ, food and drinks and, a big open space for dancing and socializing.

"Oh wow," I said, clutching onto Kashino's arm. "It's so packed."

"A lot of new competition too," he said his voice steadily calm.

"Especially we're in charge of the main shop too, how can we- "

"Ichigo, Kashino!"

I looked back to face the familiar voice who called out our names. "Henri-sensei!"

Henri-sensei smiled and walked towards us, followed by a girl who looked our age. "I'm glad you're able to make it. How was the flight?"

I smiled. "It was okay! I'm a little tired, but I'll be able to manage!"

"You are free to leave if you need to anytime you want, but for now, I'd like to introduce you to someone."

He gestured towards the girl behind him who had long lavender colored hair and big dark brown eyes. She had a kind looking face but at first glance, you'd expect her to be the energetic type.

"I'd like you to meet Kazunari Asuka. I recruited her from America and she'll be your shop's assistant."

"And don't worry, my Japanese and English is flawless." She said speaking for the first time "Though I would prefer English, speak either or!"

I laughed. "Nice to meet you Kazunari-san! I'm Amano Ichigo and this is Kashino Makoto!"

"Oh trust me, I know you guys, the two of the famous young patissieres who won the Cake Grand Pix when they were in middle school! And please, call me Asuka!"

Henri-sensei smiled and walked away, satisfied that we were already getting along.

"Don't take this the wrong way Kazunari, but you are Japanese yet you don't look _entirely_..."

Asuka-chan shook her head, not taking it to offense at all. "No, it's okay! I'm actually half Japanese. My dad was Japanese and- "

"Her mom was Filippina!" A voice finished for her.

I jerked my head up and saw a cream colored light and wings shine behind her hair. I gasped and smiled. Now I know why Henri-sensei recruited her, she has a Sweets Spirit! I looked up and Kashino and he grinned.

"Come on Yuca!" Asuka-chan pouted. "Stop introducing yourself that way! We have to be formal sometimes!"

"So your Sweets Spirit is Yuka?" Vanilla said coming from behind my shoulder.

Asuka-chan giggled. "I knew you guys had Sweets Spirits, but I never really knew who! And yeah, this is my partner Yuca!"

Yuca had a cream colored top that falls just above her knees and brown leggings under and she wore yellow sandals. Her eyes were dark brown like Asuka-chan's and her hair looked like black, but in the light, it was actually a very dark brown. It was tied back with a white ribbon and her utensil was a fork like Chocolat.

I pointed my index finger to Vanilla. "My partner is Vanilla!"

"And Chocolat is mine," Kashino said gesturing his head toward her behind him.

"I saw them on TV during the Grand Pix but they look cuter in person!"

I really liked her already. She seemed they type of person who would wanna be friends with anyone, you know?

Thankfully, we were able to make it through the night. Mostly thanks to Asuka-chan to keep us occupied. We sat by the fountain and ate some of the food that was offered while listening to the random pop music the DJ was playing.

"How long have you lived in America?" I asked her as I was finishing up my 8th slice of cake.

She laughed at the stack of plates before answering. "My whole life- well, up until now. I started living here in London just last month."

"I'm surprised your parents let you move all the way here," said Vanilla.

Yuca shook her head sadly. "The thing is..."

"Nah," Asuaka-chan said casually. "My mom died when I was 5 and my dad died before I turned 16."

I felt a sting in my chest. "I'm so sorry..."

Asuka-chan waved it off, "No it's fine! They're probably watching me from up there and worrying if I'll be alone by myself." She laughed. "During those three years before I came here, I just lived with a friend that's all."

I was so surprised she can talk about it like it never affected her. She's strong- I admire that about her.

"Okay, enough depressing stories," she said setting down her cider. "Tell me bout you guys. You went to St. Marie in Japan?"

I nodded. "During my second year of middle school. Kashino and my other team mates met during their first year."

We all heard a ring and Kashino quickly stood and took out his phone, "I'll be right back." And he walked out of the tent to take the call. When I turned back to Asuka-chan, she gave me a look.

"You two together?"

I blushed and nodded. "Engaged actually."

Her eyes widened. "Really? How long?"

"Since Wednesday; we've been dating for almost 3 years."

Asuka-chan picked up her cider. "I had a feeling, when I saw you four on TV, I felt like out of those three boys, you and Makoto-kun would be together. Just a hunch I guess you can say!"

I looked down on my empty plate then placed it on the stack just when Kashino came back. "Sorry about that."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"Hanabusa," he said. "He told me he's gonna stop by here in a few days."

I was about to say something, but then a tapping sound on the microphone caught the attention of everyone in the tent.

"Welcome young patissieres to the welcoming party for London's Marie's Garden," Henri-sensei said. "We hope you take this night into consideration to get to know your peers and fellow competitors before tomorrow's grand opening, for starting then, you will all become rivals. Even so, I ask that you stay original with your own ideas and skills."

For some reason, I started to shake. It wasn't cold- it was mid spring, I'm not that tired either so... As If sensing my uneasiness, Kashino took my hand and gently squeezed it. I looked at him and nodded a thank you.

For the rest of the night, we were able to make it through. After the party, Asuka-chan told us that her apartment was a few blocks from ours so it will be easy to tell her anything if we needed her.

It was around 11:30 when we got back and I was really, really tired. Even so, I still had to put away my stuff. After I changed into comfortable pajamas and Vanilla went around to explore, I started unpacking my clothes and putting up photos and personal stuff. On my desk, I put away my stationary, laptop, sketchbook and pens and pencils. I also put a couple of framed photos: ones with me and my family and friends. Above my bed, I hanged up the painting Papa made me.

As I was about to climb into bed, I walked over to the window and drew back the curtains and the view was just beautiful. Big Ben was standing tall in the distance, the lights were making the city look like the night sky. I laid my head against the edge of the window and took in the sight. In the corner of my eye, a little blond head came next to me.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

Vanilla nodded. "It's nothing compared to all the pictures I've seen."

I smiled. "I can't believe it, it was like it was just yesterday that I was at Natsume's recital and I went to the Sweets Festa. Everything seems so nostalgic that I can't seem to wrap it around my head."

"I feel the same way," she said flying right in front of me. "It's like I just met you in the middle school cooking room making crepes. Then we became partners."

I nodded and extended my finger. "I'm glad you're my partner Vanilla."

She grabbed it with her hand and cooed, "Me too Ichigo."

* * *

><p><strong>Normal POV<strong>

It was around 4AM the next day and both Johnny and Koshiro-san were awake in her helicopter while the Sweets Spritis were resting. They were gonna land in London in about two hours. Koshiro-san was obviously excited but Johnny...

"They should be living in the apartment complex not to far from the Marie's Garden! Makoto-kun~! I'm almost here!" Koshiro-san squealed.

Johnny tore his eyes from the window to his cousin. "Miya, are you sure about this? It's been 3 years since then. Just give it up."

"Shut_ up_ Johnny!" She said bitterly. "I'm not going to give up and you shouldn't either."

Johnny bit his lip. He did still love Ichigo but unlike Koshiro-san, he's slowly starting to accept the fact that she'll never see him the same way. After all he's done to Ichigo, he didn't wanna hurt her anymore and he just wanted to be there for her in any way that he can, to make it all up.

He leaned back in his chair and pulled up the blanket to his waist and closed his eyes. He's gonna need the sleep because when he wakes up, who knows what's gonna happen.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed!<strong>

**I don't know how long this has been going on, but I heard a rumor that there's gonna be a season 3 of Yumeiro Patissiere coming out this August. I looked it up but I haven't seen any official announcements of a season 3. I totally want a season 3 but I honestly doubt there's gonna be one. What do you guys think?  
><strong>

**I had really fun writing this! Review please!**

**Oh and to my reviewer Ka-chan who wanted the link to the photo, I just got it from the Yumeiro Patissiere manga page at MangaHere dot com  
><strong>


	6. Ch 4 - Challenge Day

****Hello hello my friends! :3 I'm really excited for this Saturday because I'm going to my friend's Quinceanera! It's my first time to a party like this! Gonna party all night! Hahaha! Anyway, I had so much fun writing chapter 3 and I hope you enjoy chapter 4!** All rights go to Matsumoto Natsumi-sensei**

* * *

><p><strong>~Challenge Day~<strong>

**Normal POV**

"Ichigo wake up! Today's the big day!"

The brunette blinked and let out a sigh. She turned to her side table and read the clock, 5:00AM. She forgot that they were supposed to leave really early to set everything up.

"Come on Ichigo, I've already laid out your clothes." Ichigo's Sweets Spirit Vanilla gestured towards the edge of the bed to the light pink tight shirt and white capris.

With a grunt, Ichigo sat up. She turned towards the window and noticed that it was still dark. She felt like it was 1:00 in the morning. With all her strength, she swung her legs across her bed and walked out towards the bathroom. Just as she reached for the handle, it twisted and the door flew open, a cloud of steam blowing in her face followed my Kashino with damp hair and a towel around his waist.

"Morning," he said as if they were strangers who met on the streets.

Ichigo tried her best not to stare at his half naked self for too long. "G- good morning..." she stuttered.

Kashino chuckled and patted her head before heading to his room. "Don't take too long!"

She sighed and walked in. As she locked the bathroom door, she felt dizzy. _Probably just fatigue, _she thought. With that, she stripped off her pjs and stepped in the shower.

_**~xXx~**_

When she got out, Ichigo still felt the same. She leaned against the bathroom sink and steadied her breathing. _If I just take aspirin, I'll be fine... I'll be fine... _She took a deep breath, let it out and walked to her room. As she closed the door, Vanilla came up to her.

"Ichigo, are you okay? You don't look good..." She said with worry in her voice.

Ichigo gave a confident smile. "Yeah, just tired that's all. If I take medicine, I'll be fine alright?"

Vanilla nodded but wasn't too sure. "Okay then..."

She unwrapped her towel and quickly changed into her clothes. Since it was gonna be busy, Ichigo didn't really put anything fancy on. As for her ring, she got a chain out of her jewelry box and threaded it through the ring and hooked it around her neck. _There, hopefully it'll be safe._

She took her time going down the stairs, gripping the hand rail tightly. When she got to the kitchen, Kashino, Vanilla and Chocolat were already eating breakfast.

"Bout time you got down here," Chocolat said looking up from her small plate.

"Chocolat!" Vanilla hissed.

"We were about to leave without you," Kashino bluntly said, not looking up from his newspaper.

Ichigo ignored him and walked towards the cabinet. "Where'd you put the aspirin?" She asked fumbling around the different kind of bottles.

That caught his attention. The word aspirin and the fact that Ichigo said it made Kashino's head jerk up. "You okay?"

"I'm just feeling a little headed, that's all. If I just take medicine, I'll be fine." She finally found the small bottle of pills and made her way to the table, slumping herself on the chair. Before she opened up the bottle, her head fell on her hands and rubbed her temples gently. Kashino put a hand to her shoulder.

"You want coffee?" He asked gently.

She shook her head. "Small glass of juice will do fine."

The pressure of his hand left her shoulder and his foot steps made it's way towards the fridge. Vanilla and Chocolat came up to her.

"Ichigo, you should eat something," said Vanilla.

She shook her head in response. "I'm not hungry right now..."

"But you have to eat something, it's not healthy for you!" Chocolat exclaimed. "At least a piece of toast or something."

Kashino set the glass down and kneeled beside her and cupped her cheek. "Am- Ichigo," He said, suddenly using her first name. Ever since they started dating, they weren't really sure if they should call each other by their first name. Though the years, Ichigo noticed that Kashino would call her by her first name at serious times. After a while, she started to do the same thing. "I know it's a big day for us, but if you're not feeling well, I don't want you to push yourself. Meaning, stay home for today and rest."

"I said I'm fine Makoto. I'm just tired from yesterday. I'll wake up eventually alright? There's no way I'm staying home today."

Kashino didn't flinch, he just gave out a stubborn sigh. "Fine. But if you collapse at the shop, its not my fault."

Even though her head hurts, Ichigo smiled. "I missed that sadistic side of you," she said. "It's good to hear it again."

Kashino smiled and kissed her forehead. "Good, because honestly, I was getting tired of that goodie-goodie personality.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo's POV<strong>

The pills helped a little, long enough for me to be able to make it to our shop. Thankfully, we have everything planned out. We decided that we wanted the shop like the one in Japan, _le reve colour. _The exterior and interior are the same, but the shop itself is bigger in size.

I tightened my grip on Kashino's arm to steady myself for a second.

"You alright?" He asked.

I nodded. "Let's just go in."

As soon as we walked in, the first thing that hit me was... _coconut milk_? I sniffed. Yeah, that's coconut milk alright. The sent of it was all over the shop.

"What is... "

Before Kashino could finish, a familiar face popped her head out from the kitchen. "Oh hey guys, good morning!" Asuka-chan said with a pot and whisk in her hand. "You're just in time, the cake is fresh out of the oven. Come on in!"

I looked at Kashino and he just shrugged. I was surprised that Asuka-chan was here before us. And she made a cake? This early in the morning? When we got to the kitchen, Asuka-chan finished pouring what I guessed was the coconut milk from the pot on to a sheet of cake.

"How are you feeling Ichigo-chan?" She asked me as she placed the pot in the sink.

"H-how did you..?"

She smiled. "I saw how you acted last night, you seemed a little off. And Vanilla sent Yuca a message earlier this morning. So I woke up really early in order to make this!"

Asuka gestured toward the cake sheet and started cutting. It was plain looking, honestly but... As she pulled out the first slice, the "cake" actually look like some sort of rice cake instead of sponge cake. The coconut milk topping she put on spilled on the sides of the slice, coating the whole thing.

"Eat this Ichigo-chan, it'll make you better, trust me. You too Makoto-kun, I mean seriously, you cant be_ that_ wide awake after your trip here."

I sat down and took the plate and Kashino took his. As we were doing so, Asuka-chan went to the fridge to get drinks.

"So," Kashino started as he cut into the cake slice. "What is this exactly?"

"_Cassava Bibingka _or cassava cake! A Philippine delicacy! Bibingka is, you can say, a type of rice cake that is usually eaten in the Philippines during Christmas but it is usually made year round. I used to make it a lot with my mom."

"And what's cassava?" I asked.

This time, Yuca spoke. "Cassava, or the yuca root, is a type of shrub from the spurge family. When you use it in bibingka, its grated and mixed with rice flour, coconut milk and evaporated milk. The topping is also coconut milk but its mixed with condensed milk."

Asuka-chan poured us milk in small glasses. I looked at her. "Trust me, when it comes this cake, you cant drink anything else with it besides milk."

I took a bite and was amazed. It the cake itself was very chewy and it was easy to eat, the cassava tasted pasty I guess you can say, I don't know it's hard to explain. With the coconut milk topping, it made it very creamy tasting and it spread through out my mouth. And it was really sweet but not too sweet that it'll make you wanna spit it back out. But other than that, another strong sweet flavor hit my taste buds and it tasted like... _licorice_?

"Asuka-chan?"

"Hmn?"

"Did you put something in the cassava cake?"

"Huh? Oh, that licorice type of taste you ate is anise!"

"Isn't anise an herb?"

"Uh-huh! That's why I put it there!"

"Why?"

"Anise," Kashino said. "Is used for many uses. In cooking, it's mostly used as a flavoring but in terms of medical use, it's used for many things, one of them being insomnia or- "

"Sleepiness." Askuka-chan finished. "I thought that it would help you guys, especially considering how important today is."

As I finished the first slice, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. "You know, I do feel better, better than after I took medicine."

Asuka-chan smiled and placed the pot in the dish washer. "Glad to hear it! Oh and if you want to take some home you can. If you're ever gonna eat some, just heat it in the microwave for at least 10 seconds. Tastes better when it's warm!"

"Thanks so much Asuka-chan," I said thoughtfully.

_**~xXx~**_

For the rest of the morning, from 6AM to 11:30AM, we've been cooking as many sweets as we could. I remember Henri-sensei e-mailing me about how he had some people who wanted to try our shop in Japan but never had the chance to because of the great distance. But I also remember what Johnny told us way back when, about disposal loss. I already explained to Asuka-chan to limit on the extra sweets she makes in order to not have a great amount of left overs.

In the 30 minutes before the Garden's grand opening, we did the final touch. I poked my head outside the shop door. Surprisingly, there was no one outside. Good!

"Okay girls!" I announced. "When ever you are!"

The three Sweets Sprits looked at each other, nodded and grabbed their utensils. "Prettyennu Change! Deco-deco-decoration!"

Their magic surrounded the shop and it became the exact same as our shop in Japan. I put my hands to my sides and grined. "Good work!" When I went back inside, I stopped. The inside is different. Well not exactly different- I guess you can say it's mirror imaged, the stair case to the second level is on the right and the entrance to the the kitchen is on the left and the tables were arranged differently.

"What's going on? Why is it different?"

"If we're gonna expand our shop like this, we cant always have it like the previous one," Kashino explained. "It has to be unique in it's own way, that's what will attract customers. Plus, it's not that different. It's just flipped."

I shrugged. "I guess it's okay."

"Okay, we're all ready in the back here!" Asuka-chan shouted from the kitchen. "Is the display outside good?"

"Yeah!" I shouted back.

Now one more thing, "Vanilla, what do you have in mind for uniforms?"

"I still liked the ones from Japan," she said.

"Ugh, please, not those again..." Kashino grunted.

"But if you want something else..." Vanilla tried her best to not look offended from Kashino's comment and grabbed her spoon. "Prettyennu Change! Fantastic Card! Dress up!"

Vanilla's magic formed into a human sized card with an outfit printed on it. Knowing what to do, I stepped through the card as it came towards me. When I came out, I ended up in what looked kinda like a butler suit. I was wearing a long sleeved white blouse and a cream colored suit vest. I was also wearing long comfortable slacks in the same cream color and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

"Not bad! Not as good as the ones in Japan but these are nice!" I said checking myself out.

"No, these are way better than the ones back home."

I turned to Kashino and saw that instead of white and cream colored clothing, his long sleeved dress shirt was red and pinstriped and his vest and slacks were black.

"Maybe because you're in clothes that finally go with you're personality?" I said walking up to him.

He looked away with his cheeks having a little dab of red. "Shut up..."

I giggled and put my hands on his shirt, "You can at least adjust your collar..."

It's kinda weird. Kashino was always the shortest out of the three princes, he was almost my height back then, but now, I just had to stretch my arms just a_ little_ bit to reach his neck. He looked down at me as I finished and reached his hand to my neck. I shivered at his touch but that's when I noticed that he was reaching for the chain.

"You're wearing it around your neck?" He asked.

I nodded. "I thought it would be safer that way. At least I'm still wearing it, you know?"

He smiled and dropped the chain back on my chest, "Yeah."

"I actually like these outfits," Asuka-chan said as she came out of the kitchen. "Plus you stand out Ichigo-chan."

I looked over and saw that she was wearing the same thing as Kashino but her dress shirt is blue and not red. Her lavender hair was up in a loose bun, leaving a few strands of hair to fall in her face.

"Why am I the only one like this?" I asked Vanilla.

"In all honestly," she laughed. "I can't picture you in dark clothes. And it's like Asuka said, you stand out!"

"Thanks! I guess!"

Then we heard a the clock tower ring then the cheering of people. This is it. I looked at everyone in the room and nodded.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!"

_**~xXx~**_

As soon as the Garden opened, the streets and shops quickly started filling up. Asuka-chan took care of the display outside while Kashino and I handled the shop inside. Vanilla, Chocolat and Yuca were managing the sweets in the kitchen. We've dealt with a lot of customers before, but because we're short staffed, it's a little hard.

"I need two more Sourire de l'Ange!" I said, walking in the kitchen.

Kashino popped his head in the kitchen. "Make that four! And a mont blanc!

"_Excuse me, can I get a check_?" I heard someone say.

"I got it," Kashino said to me and went back out.

"Your tarts are really popular Ichigo! We've already sold 20 and it hasn't even been a full hour!" Vanilla said bringing the tarts to me.

"Thanks! Maybe because it's because of the Grand Pix!" Still, other than my tart, there's other cake and sweets too, Kashino's Rainbow Kingdom, Tennouji-san's Foret Linda, Asuka-chan made her signature millie feuille, Reve d'Automne and the New Blue Moon Andou-kun made, along with many others.

"Ichigo!" Asuka-chan shouted. "Can I get another round of Sourire de l'Ange, Rainbow Kingdom and Reve d'Automne?"

"Alright, just give me a minute!" I quickly took out the tarts and gave them to the table who ordered them. When I came back in the kitchen, the trays were already out.

"I heard her from here," Yuca said. "Go!"

I nodded her a thank you. As I made my way outside, the line for the display was getting longer.

"_Thank you! Please come again!"_ Asuka-chan said as the women walked away. You couldn't even hear an accent when she spoke English.

"Here you go!" I said handing her the trays. "How you making out?"

"_Thanks hon!_ And I'm doing okay. But it seems that because it's the first day, people are just grabbing and going." She gestured her head to a couple leaving our shop. "Even the ones who are sitting and eating seem to be moving on to other shops."

I nodded. "Similar situations would happen in Japan too. But eventually, both inside and outside would be even so there wasn't that many- "

"_Hi, welcome! What can I get you?_" She turned back to me. "Sorry, busy you know?"

"No, it's okay!" I said, shaking my head. "I'll check up on you later! Good luck!"

"You too!"

_**~xXx~**_

By the end of the day though, we were able to sell everything. Our customers seemed satisfied and we had some positive feedback. It was around 9:30 when we cleaned everything up and sat in one of the tables in the dining area.

"_Ugh! Thank God that's over!_" Asuka-chan moaned as she flopped herself down on a chair and laid the black headphones on her head around her neck. I laughed.

I turned to Kashino. "How were our sales?"

He looked at his notepad. "Around $485 which equals about ¥49,072."

Asuka-chan shrugged and grabbed her can of soda. "Not bad, right?"

"For now yes," said Kashino. "But as the days go by, we're gonna have to do way better the future."

I craned my neck until it cracked. "You okay?" Vanilla asked me.

"Just a little sore," I told her then I turned to Asuka-chan. "You think I can have another slice of cassava cake?"

She smiled and got up. "Sure! How bout you Makoto-kun?"

Kashino waved his hand. "I'm good."

Asuka-chan shrugged and put back on her headphones, "Alright, be back in a sec!"

As she went off into the kitchen, I stood and walked up to Kashino and put my arms around him. "You alright?"

He leaned back, holding onto my arms. "Not really. It may be the first day, but that's not nearly as much as we make normally in Japan. We need to do better advertising to get more customers."

"How about the prices?"

"I think it's best to keep it the same way back home for now. Depending on how our sales work it, we'll go on from there."

"Alright..." I inclined my head down towards him. He looked up at me and got the message. I closed my eyes and waited for the touch of his lips when a sudden burst came from the door.

"It looks the same from the one in Japan! Surely you can do better than that!"

Our eyes widened and turned towards the door. "Koshiro-san? What are you...?"

"Ohohohoho! I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"

I don't understand, why is she even here? I felt Kashino stiffen and he swore under his breath. Before he could say anything, another familiar voice came up behind her.

"Miya! I said not to do this!"

I gasped. "Johnny?"

"I-Ichigo," He started. "I can explain- "

I suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath and a plate clattering to the floor. I turned around. Asuka-chan looked so pale all of a sudden. Her headphones were around her neck again, making the music blast so loud it can be heard from here. Her big brown eyes were wide with shock and her hands that were holding the cake, that is now splattered on the floor, were trembling.

"_Hindi ko naniniwala ito,_" She said in a language that I guessed was Tagalog. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?!"

The tone in her voice was indescribable, I've never heard her so scared. What's even more weird, she was talking to the ones who came in the shop. I followed her gaze. Koshiro-san looked confused but Johnny... he looked just as shocked as Asuka-chan. His light blue eyes were wide and his mouth hung open.

"_Celeste_?" He muttered.

Celeste? Does he mean Asuka-chan?

He took a step forward. "Asuka- Celeste is that you?"

Asuka-chan was shaking now and didn't say anything. Yuca floated up to Johnny, trying her best to look strong. "Not a step closer Johnny," she said in a steady voice.

Johnny held his arm out, as if he was trying to go around her. "Wait Yuca, hold on- "

"W-why are you here?" Asuka-chan stammered, cutting him off. "Y-you can't be! I thought... "

I walked up to her, holding my arms out in comfort. "Asuka-chan, calm down. What's- "

She didn't let me touch her. With a choked sound and tears, she pushed pass me and Johnny and ran out the shop.

"What was that about?" Koshiro-san said after a long silence.

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><p><strong>Uh, I guess you can say that's a cliff hanger? Hahaha, I don't know, I think! But yeah, apparently, seeing Johnny gave Asuka quite a shock. But why?<strong>

**Thanks for reading guys! Review your thoughts! (I'm not getting many reviews though... lol but its okay, as long as you guys are still reading, that's all that matters to me!)**

**Hugs and Kisses, **

**Aoi **


	7. Ch 5 - An Angel's Smile

**Hey everyone! The party was A. MA. ZING! So much fun and so much energy! Had a hell of a good time, though, I'm half asleep right now, lol! Ahh, now on with Chapter 5! Ready? (Credit goes to Matsumoto-sensei!)**

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><p><strong>~An Angel's Smile~<strong>

**Ichigo's POV**

I turned to the clock and it read 4:30AM. I sighed. When I finally got the chance to get some sleep, I didn't take it. Because I couldn't get what happened last night out of my head. Asuka-chan... I've only known you for a few days but whenever I saw you, you'd always have a gentle smile and a positive attitude. It worries me to see you so helpless.

I took another look at the clock, 4:31AM. This is getting me no where. I sat up from bed, careful not to wake Vanilla up. I slid my hand against my face and that made me more awake. I wouldn't be surprised if Asuka-chan wasn't at work today, but she's nothing like that. And it's the second day of the shop so...

Carefully, I got out of bed and got dressed. I slipped on my denim shorts and yellow top I got from our trip to Italy during the Grand Pix. Before I walked out, I went to my desk and took out a piece of stationary.

_Leaving early today, see you there!_ _- Ichigo_

I slowly made my way downstairs and walked out the door.

_**~xXx~**_

I should have brought a sweater or something. Who knew London could be this chilly so early in the morning? As I was on my way to the Garden, I tried to walk in the street lights as much as I can. At 4:50 in the morning, who knows what kind of sickos are lurking. I finally made it to the gate. Locked. Perfect. I let out a puff of air and looked up. I could always climb over, but that would be trespassing.

"Amano-san?"

On the other side of the gate and saw a familiar women who had short, silver-blonde hair and gray-blue eyes and she was wearing a dark suit.

"Sully-san?"

She had a mix of concern and surprise on her face. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Oh? I- um, I thought that I could start cooking for the day..?" That was so bad. It was kinda true, I did wanna start, but now that she mentions it, it is too early to be doing that.

For a while she just looked at me then sighed. "Well, alright. Someone else is already here before you anyway so I guess it's okay." She walked up to the brick side of the gate and pushed the button, making a small opening enough for me to squeeze in.

"Thank you," I said before running down on Main Street. Someone is already here? Before me? Probably one of the other shop members.

But it wasn't. When I approached my shop, I noticed that the lights were on. Could it be...? I looked through the glass and glanced into the kitchen and saw a familiar purple head. Asuka-chan! Without hesitating, I opened the door. When I walked in she had her back turned to the oven and the sound of popping oil ringed in my ears. Asuka-chan had her headphones on, which is why she didn't hear me come in.

Yuca looked up from the counter. "Ichigo-san?"

I nodded and put a finger to my lips. Too late though.

"Did you say something Yuca?" Asuka-chan asked sliding the headphones off. She looked at Yuca then turned to me. "Ichigo-chan?"

I gave a little wave. "Morning Asuka-chan."

She gave me a weak smile and turned back to the oven. "What are you doing here so early?"

I shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I have a habit of waking up this early ever since I came to London. And I always make some type of sweets too." She drained whatever was in the cooking oil and placed them on a paper towel covered plate and turned off the oven. "Come here, I want you to try this."

I walked over to the counter and sat on the stool, facing a plate with a dipping bowl in the middle. In the bowl, it looked like caramel but on the plate was holding ping pong sized balls of fried rice dough.

"What is this?" I asked.

"It's called _carioca_. I guess you can say its like mitarashi dango. The dipping is coconut-caramel though, instead of sweet soy sauce. My lola -my grandmother- made them for me once a few months after my mom died. It helped a lot after. And I usually make it when I've fallen hard." She brought the one's from the fryer and transferred them to the plate in front of me.

"Here," she said handing me a tooth pick.

I took it and stabbed one of the white balls then dipped it in the caramel. "Itadakimasu." Immediately, the warm, brown sugar sweetness filled my mouth. As i ate the carioca, you really couldn't taste anything at first but then you could feel the shredded coconut in your mouth. With the slightly bland carioca was balanced with the sweet coconut-caramel, making it utterly delicious. It really gave me a warm soothing feeling, like I was in the arms of a loved one.

"Wow, that's really good," I told her, going for a second one.

She finished chewing hers before she spoke. "Isn't it? I love to cook some Japanese sweets too, but my dad didn't really have a sweet tooth so I didn't really get to eat any. My mom was the cook of the house, she'd make both Japanese and Philippine meals but when it comes to desserts, it was all from her native heart."

I smiled, "What kind of Japanese sweets do you like?"

"I love daifuku and dango. I also love taiyaki as well. I had some before coming here but that was a while ago."

"Is that why you want to become a patissiere? To spread the culture of your mom's home country?"

She shrugged. "Not exactly. I mean, I love making Philippine sweets but that's mostly for fun. You see, my dad had a friend who owned a family bakery. He would usually drop me off there when he had work on the weekends. The chef there, the way he did his cakes and pastries, they were so beautiful. When he decorated the cakes, he did all these old-school designs, like victorian era patterns and such. I was fascinated. I guess that's what started it all."

I reached across the counter and touched her hand. "They would be proud of you."

She wiped a tear with her free hand before it fell. "I guess..."

After a while, I decided to ask, "Asuka-chan, what... What was that about last night? You know Johnny?"

She stiffened and nodded. "Yeah..."

"Can I ask what happened between you two?"

"Asuka..." Yuca said, uncertain what to do.

"I don't really like to talk about it and it's kinda of a long story. But since we made it this far then okay, I'll tell you."

Not letting go of her hand I said, "You can stop when ever you want to."

Asuka-chan took a deep breath and let it out. "I about 5 years after my mom died, my dad and I moved to North Jersey because of his work. I was a total outcast in my new neighborhood. But my next door neighbors, the McBeal's made us feel welcome. They had a son my age, a few months older, and they introduced us. I'm an only child but I always wanted an older brother, one who protected me, one who cared for me, one who was always there for me. And Johnny was that big brother. We would play together and sometimes do sleep overs with friends. He told me all kinds of stories, like how he would go to Japan to visit family. He wanted to be a patisserie like me and we would go to my dad's friend's bakery to practice. That's where we met Yuca and Maize.

"We went to half of our elementary years together," she continued. "We went to middle school together and we spent our freshmen and sophomore year together. Then this one time, I noticed that he starting acting weird, like he was hiding something. I asked his parents about it but they acted like they haven't noticed anything. One day, Johnny was absent. I didn't know why, maybe he was sick but I was worried. I planned to visit him after school, when I got called to the main office. My dad got into a car accident so I went to the hospital. He died later that night. I didn't go to school the next few days because I was mourning. I tried calling Johnny but he never answered. I was scared that something bad happened to him, I thought I was gonna loose my family for good. When I went back to school, I found out that Johnny transferred and I was heartbroken. What made me more upset, his family was still here but he wasn't. I went to go live with his parents for the next three years. I never talked about Johnny and they never talked about him, so that was the end of it.

"Henri Lucas came by the bakery we trained at and asked me to come with him to London a month earlier and I did. I thought this was gonna be a new beginning for me and boy, what a beginning it was. I was really glad to meet you and Makoto-kun. I thought that working with you guys, it can help me focus on the future. But I never knew that I would run into Johnny again in the most awkward way possible."

By the time she was finished, the sun was starting to come up. I didn't noticed that she walked over to the sink to put the plates away. I looked around for a clock, 5:45AM.

"Well," said Asuka-chan. "I better start cleaning up."

Without thinking I stood. "Wait Asuka-chan! Can I.. Can I make you something really quick?"

I knew that I wanted to help Asuka-chan. I never knew how much she really suffered. Everyday, she would have a smile on her face only to cover up her past. I never want to see her like that again. I wanna see her with that bright smile on her face when ever I look at her, a smile that is true and not fake. And I knew exactly what to make her.

_**~xXx~**_

"It's even better than I imagined," she said as I slid the plate toward her.

"You never did get to try my Sourire d l'Ange did you?" I asked, wiping my hands on my apron.

She shook her head grabbed her fork. "A lot of people bought it yesterday and I would try it myself if there were any extras but there weren't any. And you made this for me?"

I nodded.

"It's because I told you that story right? Out of pity?"

"Yes it was because you told me your story but not out of pity."

She looked at me questionably.

"I know that we only met a few days ago, but already, you became one of my best friends," I told her. "When you first told us you lost your parents at the Welcoming Party, I admired that you were able to say it with out hesitating. You're great at cooking and you're proud of who you are and where your from. You're really strong Asuka-chan, you're able to smile despite all difficult odds. But from now on, you don't have to act so strong anymore. You can let go when ever you want to... I noticed that you're the type of person that can make someone's day no matter what their situation is. Right now, I want to be you; I want to make you're day by making you this strawberry tart."

Her face turned red, her eyes shined with fresh tears and she looked down at her plate. With her fork, she cut a piece and ate it, Yuca and I watching her do so.

_Eat it,_ I thought._ Hopefully you'll realize..._

She made a choking noise and started crying. Yuca flew up to her and slid the fork out of her mouth. When she did, Asuka-chan's hands flew up to her face to hide her sobbing.

"...You're not alone," I said out loud while I opened my arms. She stood and let me hug her. Her hands and forearms were blocking her tears from reaching my shirt but I honestly didn't mind. I reached down to stroke her hair. Asuka-chan was small for age, she was about 5'4 and I was about 5'5. It's like I'm comforting Natsume when she needed it.

I pulled away from her and gave her my handkerchief. She took it and laughed. "Ah, I bet I look like crap don't I?"

I laughed too. "You don't look that bad! But I recommend you wash up."

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

While she went to the sink, Yuca flew up to me and whispered. "It's been a while since she cried like that." I looked at her and she winked. "Thank you Ichigo-san."

"Alright!" I heard Asuka-chan say really loudly. "Now that that's lifted off my chest! Let's get to work!"

"Okay! Are you gonna finish it?" I asked pointing to the tart.

"I'd love to sweetie but maybe later, during break! For now, we have some cooking to do!"

"One more thing Asuka-chan."

She looked at me. "Well, last night, Johnny called you Celeste and- "

"Oh," she said, cutting me off. "Celeste is my middle name. It was my mom's name too. When I was in America, I used it when I was in school since it was easier for the teachers and students to remember."

So that's it. "Oh, I was just asking!"

"No, it's alright. After all you've done..." She shook it off, like she didn't feel like saying it. Instead she looked at me and smiled. "Thank you, Ichigo-chan."

There it is, that smile. The smile of an angel who once fell and has now risen once again.

We all heard the front doors of the shop open followed by a loud voice. "AMANO!"

I didn't bother to turn around to see who it was. "I can't believe you just left like that! Why?!"

"Geez Makoto-kun, it's too early to be yellin," Asuka-chan mumbled. I giggled.

"Now, Kashino," said another voice. I gasped. "She's here and that's all that matters."

I turned and behind Kashino, I saw a familiar face. Even though it's not even been a week, I was really happy to see him again. "Hanabusa-kun!"

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><p><strong>And there goes another chapter! X3 I'm on a roll with this story! I keep writing everyday! (God I really need a break- and so does my computer).<strong>

** Anyway, there's one more thing I wanna share with you. Earlier in this chapter, Asuka-chan made something called Carioca. It's really good and I want you guys to try it! The recipe is on my profile so go check it out!**

**I hope you guys enjoyed! You're the best!**

**- Aoi**


	8. Ch 6 - Acceptance and Forgiveness

**Welcome back for another chapter of DCF! This chapter honestly took a while to write but I was able to make it happen! Hope you all enjoy! I don't own anything!**

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><p><strong>~Acceptance and Forgiveness~<strong>

**Normal POV**

"Hanabusa-kun!" Ichigo exclaimed, walking towards the tea-green haired boy. "When did you get here?"

"Late last night," he said. "I was gonna come here later on this afternoon, but I thought you guys would need the extra help."

Ichigo laughed. "Well, we're gonna need it."

"You didn't answer me!" Kashino said in an irritated voice.

The brunette turned to him. "What?"

"Why did you leave before me? Especially at 4:30 in the morning? Are you insane? Something could have happened to you!"

"Would you relax?" She said, trying to calm him down. "I'm fine! I was just with Asuka-chan. We were here the whole time."

"Don't worry Ichigo-chan," said Asuka speaking for the first time. "He's just worried about you that's all. It's kinda cute actually!"

Kashino turned away, his face red. "Shut up Kazunari."

"Oh and by the way," Ichigo said, clearing her throat. "Hanabusa-kun, this is Kazunari Asuka. Henri-sensei recruited her to work with us. Asuka-chan, this Hanabusa Satsuki."

Being the person he is, Hanabusa-kun walked up to Asuka and handed her a rose. Asuka took it and blushed. "Another one of the Sweets Princes," she said. "I'm honored."

"What were you doing anyway?" Kashino interrupted, feeling uncomfortable.

Asuka and Ichigo looked at each other and grinned. "Oh you know," Asuka started.

"Just girl stuff," Ichigo finished.

"Whatever," Kashino said walking toward the cabinet to get out cooking tools. He stopped and turned around. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

**_~xXx~_**

When they were fully changed in their "butler" uniforms, they started getting ready for the day. Since it was Sunday, it was going to be really busy. On the weekdays, they can start coming in a later. Today, Asuka was in charge of the display outside again and thanks to Hanabusa-kun's arrival, the inside of the shop was no problem now. Through out most of the morning, it was one of those... awkward moments. No one was really talking, they seemed to be concentrating but the atmosphere was different. The only lucky one was Asuka, who avoided the awkwardness because she's always listening to music.

"It's the only thing that relaxes me," she told them. "Other than cooking at least."

But eventually, they made it though the morning. The Garden opened at 12 and, like yesterday, it was busy. They sold a variety of their sweets for the first few hours, most of them being Ichigo's Sourire de l'Ange. That was a bit of the problem. It's not that everyone didn't like the fact that Ichigo's tart was selling, but it was because that it was selling so much, not a lot of the other cakes were selling, creating a number of disposal losses. Before lunch break, all the strawberry tarts were sold and that was it for now.

"Are you sure you're okay with this Ichigo-chan?" Asuka asked for the third time already.

"It's completely fine Asuka-chan," she told her, setting down her water. Understanding the situation, Ichigo decided to sell her tarts only on occasion. "I'll do what needs to be done. Besides, the fact that everyone loves it is enough to make me happy."

"So when so we sell them then?"

"On holidays," Kashino answered. "Christmas, St. George's Day, Valentine's Day, New Years Eve and so on."

"But it's an early notice for our customers," Asuka commented. "How are they gonna take it in?"

"As time goes by, they'll eventually have to accept that fact," said Hanabusa-kun. "There's nothing we can do but hope for the best. Hopefully, it won't affect our selling of sweets in general."

Then they all heard a sudden tap at the door and looked up to see two kids, one boy and one girl, who looked around 9 and 6.

"Is lunch break already over?" Vanilla asked.

Yuca shook her head, "No, there's about 15 minutes left."

Asuka got up from her chair and walked over to unlock the door. She knelt down to the young children. They must be siblings; the older one, the boy, had the same violet eye color as the young girl and he was holding her hand protectively.

"_Hey kids,"_ she said. "_What are you doing here?"_

_"We want to buy a cake" _the young boy said.

"_I'm sorry_," Asuka apologized. "_But we're not open right now_."

"_Ash..._" The little girl whined.

"_It's okay Lily_," the boy named Ash said, comforting her.

"_Where are your parents_?" Asuka asked.

Ash took a moment before answering. "_We snuck away from her. Lily wanted to buy a cake but our foster mom wouldn't let us, not until my other foster siblings were done eating lunch. I chased after Lily who was upset and I scolded her. But now, she said she won't listen to me unless I buy her a cake_."

Asuka giggled.

"_I know_," Ash sighed. "_Little sisters_."

"_But won't your foster mom be worried?_"

Ash shrugged. "_She's too busy to worry about us._"

_Such a mature boy_, Asuka thought. "_Alright then, come on in._" She let the door wide open to let them in.

"Oi!" Kashino exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

Ichigo laid a hand on his shoulder. "Kashino!"

"Relax Makoto-kun," said Asuka guiding the confused children though the dining area. "It's only for a while. They wont be here for long."

The three of her friends and the Sweets Spirits, followed Asuka to the kitchen, stopping at the doorway, now knowing if they should go in any further.

"What is she _doing_?" Chocolate asked, not believing that Asuka just brought two little kids into their shop.

"_Take a seat_," Asuka said to the kids. Ash was able to get up but he had to help Lily onto the stool.

"_So Lily, you like cake and sweets?_" Asuka asked while she was preparing them a cake. By the looks of it, it's like she was used to making it a lot because she's making it quick.

"_Yeah! Very, very much!_" She replied.

"_How about you Ash?_"

"_I do,_" he said then jabbed a thumb towards the little bouncing blonde bob. "_But not as much as her._"

Asuka giggled. "_Is that so?_" She then brought over two small rectangle slices. "_Here's the cake you wanted._"

"That's her Reve d'Automne," Ichigo breathed, noticing the different swirls and patterns on top.

"_It's millie feuille!_" Lily cried. "_I love millie feuille!_"

"_Do you?_"

"_Oh yes she does_," Ash laughed.

Asuka smiled as both Lily and Ash took a bite. "_Wow~! It's so good!_"

Ash nodded, agreeing with his sister. "_It is. And you made this Miss?_"

"_I sure did!_" She continued to watch the two siblings eat. Suddenly, Asuka remembered a time when she was young. She was at the bakery where she trained but this time, she brought a blonde haired boy with her. They would always eat cake first before training. Sometimes, she would smudge frosting on the boy's face, usually ending the whole thing up in a little food fight.

"_So_," said Ash, placing his fork down. "_Do you forgive me for yelling at you?_"

Lily looked up at her brother and smiled. In response, she gave him a kiss on the cheek, leaving a smear of cream. Though he was satisfied, Ash turned red and wiped it off.

Everyone smiled as the two siblings finished up their cake. Ichigo tore her eyes away to look at Asuka who was leaning against the counter, facing away from them. She had her hand covering her mouth, as if she was trying to keep any sound from coming out. Yuca flew over to her and touched her face. Asuka looked at her, tears rolling down her face. Ichigo noticed and walked into the kitchen.

She placed a hand on her shoulder. "Asuka-chan, are you okay?"

Asuka looked at her then to Kashino and Hanabusa-kun at the door way. She quickly wiped her face before anything else happened. "Sorry," she whispered. "I'm an emotional person!"

"_Miss_," Ash said standing up and reaching for Lily's hand. "_Thank you for everything. We should head back_."

Asuka nodded Ichigo a thank you and walked to the kids. "_I'm glad you enjoyed it._"

Ash dug through his pocket for a few euros. "_How much do we pay you?_"

Asuka bit her lip then said, "_Nothing. Just make sure you don't run off like that again okay?_"

The smiles of the little siblings lit up their faces. "_We wont_!"

_**~xXx~**_

At the end of the day, they were luckily able to sell everything. With the sudden announcement of the shop not selling Sourire de l'Ange, it made them loose a quarter of their customers. They were all nervous at that point, that the next day, they'd lose more people. For now though, they were all hoping for the best.

After they were done cleaning up and out of their uniforms, they all sat in the dining room, tension whirling around them.

"About $590, equals around ¥59,065," Kashino announced after calculating the money. "Damn it! I was hoping we'd make at least over $600!"

Asuka unscrewed the cap of her water bottle. "At least there's a good side to this, we made more money than we did yesterday."

Kashino glared at her in response.

"What?"

He sighed. "We made about $1,705 in the first two days. Since the weekdays start tomorrow, sales are going to be not as big."

"Should we raise the prices after all?" Ichigo asked.

"There's no reason to," said Hanabusa-kun. "It's only been two days of selling. Let's wait for a week at least."

"We made way more in Japan during the grand opening," Kashino commented.

Asuka scoffed. "Yeah, well, this is _London._ Not _Japan._"

"But because the Marie's Garden here is the second one in the world," Cafe said. "It's just as busy as the one in Japan. That's what I heard around the Sweets Kingdom at least."

A click of the front door caught their attention. It was Sully-san followed by Koshiro-san and Johnny. Ichigo and Hanabusa-kun looked surprised, Kashino cringed and Asuka stiffened.

"I apologize for coming without notice," said Sully-san walking towards them.

"Oh, no, it's okay!" Said Ichigo.

"What are they doing here?" Asuka said in a flat tone. Koshiro-san just smiled and Johnny had a serious face.

"Well, that's the reason I'm here." Sully-san gestured toward the two cousins. "Koshiro-san and Johnny-kun asked if they could work here at your shop."

Their mouths hung in disbelief. Immediately, both Kashino and Asuka spoke, "No."

Everyone turned to them. Sully-san tilted her head. "And why not Kashino-san? Kazunari-san?"

"Well, why do they wanna work here?" Kashino replied.

"Simple," said Koshiro-san. "Chateau Seika sponsored Marie's Garden and all it's shops, including _le reve colour_. So if you hire us, you can have a greater chance of having customers."

Kashino still didn't care. "The answer is still no."

"That's not right Koshiro-san!" Ichigo stood from her seat laying her hands on the table. "We want our customers to come here because of their love of our sweets. It won't make sense if you ask people to come here just because of your father's business."

Koshiro-san looked like she didn't make any sense. "I hope you're not just saying that because you don't want us to work here due to our personal business Amano-san."

"No, Ichigo-chan is right." Asuka's voice didn't waver and her face was serious. It was weird for everyone to see her like that. "I don't know what you're relationship with Makoto-kun or Ichigo-chan is Koshiro-san but it has _nothing_ to do with our shop. Neither does my relationship with Johnny. All I, we, care about is our shop being successful. What I am most concerned about is, are you willing to work here?"

"Celeste..." Johnny began, but Asuka ignored him.

"Are you willing to work?" She asked again. "We don't have time to deal with people who are not serious about what they do. If you are a true patissiere, you will not let your personal life mix in with work. If you are not serious, then leave."

Ichigo drew in a breath, "Asuka-chan..."

It was silent for a while. Sully-san looked like she understood what Asuka was trying to say, but it's not her position to get involved.

Johnny broke the silence. "Of course I'm serious, you know that Celeste."

Asuka looked at Johnny with a straight face then nodded. "Koshiro-san?"

All eyes were on Koshiro-san now. Her face didn't change, and she just smirked. "Yes. I'm serious."

"Look me in the eye then," Asuka told her.

Koshiro-san locked eyes with her and repeated, "Yes, I'm serious."

Asuka took a breath then let it out. "Fine."

"Kazunari!" Kashino exclaimed.

"If they are both willing to work Makoto-kun, then that's all that matters. I don't care how high and mighty her father is, if her or both of them make one mistake, they're out."

"I will agree with you Kazunari-san," said Koshiro-san. "It's a deal; if you let me and Johnny work here, we will work. If we screw up, then we will leave."

Asuka turned to her friends. "Well?"

Slowly, they and the Sweets Sprits nodded. Kashino looked sick but he agreed.

"Then it's settled, you start tomorrow."

_**~xXx~**_

Sully-san left them alone after the debate was settled. Johnny and Koshiro stayed behind to talk about their plans for tomorrow but somehow, the conversations suddenly took a turn.

"Since when did you become the leader?!" Kashino yelled at Asuka.

Asuka took a swig of her water bottle. "Are you seriously gonna ask me that after that whole thing ended 5 minutes ago?"

"Yes!"

Koshiro-san cleared her throat. "You know, we're right here."

Kashino turned to her. "Do I care?"

"I said that I will work here seriously Makoto-kun," she said.

"Well what about him?" Kashino pointed towards Johnny who was leaning on the table with his arms folded across his chest.

"I told you that I will. Celeste knows how hard I work- "

"Don't," Asuka interrupted. "Call me that."

Ichigo had a worried look on her face. After hearing Asuka's story this morning, she didn't know how Asuka would act around Johnny the next time they saw each other.

Johnny got up from the table and grabbed her arm. "Let me talk to you in the kitchen for a second."

Asuka tried to pry from his grip, but he was too strong. "Johnny let go of me!"

Ichigo and the others watched as he dragged her behind and they tried their best not to eavesdrop.

When they got to the kitchen, Asuka turned to Johnny, looking like she was gonna slap him. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"Why are you acting this way?" He asked.

"Are you serious?" She scoffed."I'm going back!"

"_No, you're not_!" He said, grabbing her arm again. "Celeste talk to me! What's happened to you?"

She walked up to him, getting as close as she wanted. "_What's happened to me_? I've changed! That's normal for someone you haven't seen or talked to for 3 years!"

"I'm sorry I left you but I had to, so I can live my dream!"

"_Ha! That's the lamest excuse I've heard! _Do you know how worried I was about you?! Your parents never mentioned you at all when I lived there. Neither our friends at school! _Do you know how mad I was?_

_"I know that you're mad but- "_

_"But WHAT?!"_ Asuka started to tear up from her anger. "_You left me when I need you the most! I find out you left after I lost my dad! You don't know how much pain I went though!"_

Johnny opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it and instead he said, "_I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise!"_

When he said that, Asuka shook her head in disbelief. She slid her arm from his hand. "_No... You can never make it up to me..."_

Asuka walked back to the dining room. Everyone looked at her, only to see her face red with rage and wet with small tears. She grabbed her water bottle and headed up the stairs to the upper level of the shop. "I'm gonna cool my head," She said while slipping on her headphones.

Yuca didn't follow her. There are times she knew to leave Asuka to herself. Johnny came back into the dining room with a defeated face. Now everyone looked at him.

"What was that about?" Koshino asked.

Johnny sat down in a chair, his head hanging down. "Nothing..."

"How do you know her anyway?" Asked Koshiro-san. "Is she your ex?"

Johnny shook his head but Ichigo answered for him. "No, it's not that."

Hanabusa-kun looked at Ichigo. "How do you know?"

"Asuka told me this morning. Her... Life before she came here."

Johnny looked back up at her. "She did?"

"So what's the story?" Kashino said. "How do you know Kazunari?"

Ichigo sighed. "Kashino, please..."

"No, it's okay Ichigo." Johnny cracked his knuckles before speaking again. "Celeste- Asuka and I basically grew up together back in America. Her mom died when she was 5 and her dad had to move due to work. We were about 10 years old when we met. We became really close a while after. Asuka is like a little sister to me and I was as close to a brother as she could get. We played together all the time, we celebrated birthdays and we went to school together, up until 10th grade. That's when I decided to move to Japan and live with Miya and her father. I never told Asuka that I was leaving. I convinced my parents to not tell her why when she went to live with them."

"Why would she live with your parents?" Koshiro-san said. "She stopped living with her dad just because you left?"

"Her dad died in a car accident the day I left. I didn't find out until my mom called me after I arrived in Japan."

It got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone had a variety of looks on their faces. Some looked sad others had a hard, serious look.

Hanabusa-kun broke the long silence. "So not only did she lose both of her parents, but she also lost you? Basically?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, so she has every right to be mad at me. I don't even know how we're gonna work together without clashing of some sort."

"Poor Asuka-chan," Vanilla muttered. "She's usually so happy, I never knew..."

"She wears that smile on her face to hide her pain," Chocolat said.

"Celeste was always cheerful back then," said Maize. "Yuca and I actually met her and Johnny when they were training at a bakery."

"Why do you call her 'Celeste'?" Kashino asked.

"Celeste was the name Asuka used in America," Johnny explained. "It was her middle name and her mom's name as well."

Hanabusa-kun stood and started to walk up the stairs to the upper level. Cafe called out to his partner, but he didn't seem to hear him.

_**~xXx~**_

_I don't know why all the trees change in the Fall, but I know you're not scared of anything at all. Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away but I know I had the best day with you today._

The song rang through Asuka's head as she looked across the Garden. It was really beautiful at night, the rows and rows of shops faded in the distance, the clock tower stood tall, looking like it was about to touch the sky and the sky itself was clear, the moon making it more radiant. The fact that it was late Spring made it even more comforting.

A sudden tap on her shoulder made her heart drop. Her instincts took in and her fist came in contact with whoever it was. She heard a faint grunt through the music. She turned around and her hands flew up to her mouth. _"Oh... My God!" _

Apparently, her blow was hard enough to make Hanabusa-kun fall off his feet. Asuka slid off her headphones and knelt down next to him. "Satsuki! Are you...?"

Hanabusa-kun had his hand on his cheek. "It's okay," he said with a small laugh. "That wasn't the first time I was hit by a girl."

"Huh?"

"Well, actually, I was slapped not punched- "

"I know, I know," Asuka cried. "God I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's alright."

"No it's not!" Asuka reached in her pocket for her handkerchief. She damped it with the rest of her water and removed Hanabusa-kun's hand to place it against his swollen cheek. "Here."

They made eye contact for a second, but Asuka felt a chill go down her spine and her heart beat even faster. She tore her dark brown eyes away from his green ones and tried to look at something other than him.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I was just surprised that's all, my instincts took over."

"It's fine," he said. "But I have to admit though, you're pretty strong."

Asuka blushed, "Yeah. Back in America, my dad taught me self-defense. You know, in case for certain situations."

"How old were you when he died?" He asked.

After letting out a breath, she said, "I was 15. And my mom died of cancer when I was about 5."

Even though he knew she wasn't looking, Hanabusa-kun gave her a sad face. "My father died before I enrolled in St. Marie."

That caught Asuka's attention and she looked back at him. "What?"

"He was on his way to the airport from a business trip in Paris and, like your dad, he died in a car accident."

"...I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. You understand, so I don't have to share the pain alone."

"How about your mother?"

"She's still alive. She's back in Japan though."

"I'm jealous," she laughed.

"But isn't Johnny like a brother to you? At least, that's what he said."

Asuka sighed. "He told you didn't he? But yeah, he's like a brother to me. Being an only child and all, he was the only playmate I had," she smiled back at the memory. "I love my big brother, but I just can't forgive him for leaving me, especially without telling me."

Her hand slid away from his face, which was still red but it wasn't swollen. She stood and held out a hand to help him up.

"He probably didn't want to hurt you, that's all."

Asuka walked over to the railing and leaned on her hands against it. "Maybe, I guess. But in a serious situation like my dad passing away, Johnny is the only one who can comfort me. But, he never did."

Hanabusa-kun came up and laid his hand against hers. "I don't know what it was like for you back then," he said to her. "But what I do know now is that Johnny is not the only one you can rely on now. There's me, Ichigo-chan, Kashino, maybe Koshiro-san and even the Sweets Spirits. You have more friends you can trust and talk to."

Asuka looked up at him as he smiled at her. He was right, it's like Ichigo said this morning. _You're not alone._ She smiled back at him, not one of those smiles she didn't need to use to hide her pain, a real smile. Because now, her pain was gone.

"Thank you Satsuki."

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><p><strong>Wow<strong>**, that chapter was LONG! But it was fun writing! Especially the ending!**

**I hope you come again for the next chapter! Review if you can!****  
><strong>

**-Aoi**


	9. Ch 7 - Erupting Flames

**So its a BIG day for me this Friday! Why? You guys know I'm a big fan of The Mortal Instruments series and that it's being made into a movie right? Well, two of the lead actors, Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower along with the author Cassandra Clare are gonna be in a have a meet and greet located in Philadelphia! THIS IS SO BIG FOR ME AND IT'S ONLY A 30 MINUTE DRIVE FROM WHERE I LIVE! This is a dream come true for me! Im actually gonna meet the daughter of Phil Collins! (Aoi Kobayashi = Oldies music freak) **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I DONT OWN ANYTHING!**

**~xXx~**

**Reviews:**

**Neko-Chan2604 - I know, we all do. But don't worry, I'm gonna put her into "good" use in this story. How? You'll see! ;)**

**konohinamoto - It is getting interesting isn't it? ^w^**

**kaylaanime1492901 - It is isn't it? I honestly didn't plan for it to have this much drama. I guess it didn't seem like it when I thought about it in my head. w''**

* * *

><p><strong>~Erupting Flames~<strong>

**Ichigo's POV**

"Damn that Kazunari! I should have doubted her in the beginning! I can't believe her!"

Kashino flopped himself on the chair by the window and ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. His shirt was halfway undone, a few buttons on the bottom kept it closed. Ever since we left the shop, he went back to ranting about Asuka-chan's decision on letting Johnny and Koshiro-san work at our shop, even though he and the others learned about her past.

"Kashino," I started, though still unsure of what I should say, "...Asuka-chan's been through a lot, I'm sure she- "

"It doesn't matter!" He exclaimed. "It's _our_ shop! That's what Henri-sensei told you right? Kazunari may be working with us, but that doesn't mean she can make all the choices! What's worse, Johnny _and_ the Heiress both are gonna be in our presence from now on?! It's a total nightmare!"

I got up from his bed and walked over to him. I got on down on my knees in front of him and patted his leg. "That whole _conflict_ with Johnny and Koshiro-san was over years ago. I mean sure, they're very persistent and they expect to get what they want but..."

Well, Koshiro-san at least. I know she'll never give up on Kashino. But Johnny, he told me what he needed to say:

_I came to apologize for everything I've done, before I withdraw from St. Marie, before I leave the Garden, and before I work for the main Chateau Seika branch. Look Ichigo, I know that you may not forgive me, but even so, that doesn't mean I don't wanna be there for you. _I know I'm no match against Makoto when it comes to you but if you ever need anything, if you ever need any help, I'll be there- as a friend.__

When he told me that, I did believe him. Johnny was a good guy to me and everyone else. Despite having his "moments", he was a great friend and knew how to bring the light into the room, like Asuka-chan.

I felt the corner of my mouth tug into a small smile. Asuka-chan and Johnny, I really hope they can work things out...

"What?" I heard Kashino say.

"Huh?"

"You just smiled," he said.

"O-oh, well..." I shook my head. "It's nothing. Um, I should head to my room, it's getting late." As I got up, Kashino grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me down, only to capture my mouth with his. My eyes widened in surprise. It's not like we haven't kissed before, obviously, but to do it out of the blue like this is something I need to get used to. I made a small noise in my throat and about to return the kiss just before her released me.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and looked at me apologetically. "I just... I kinda needed that. A lot has happened."

With a clearly flushed face, I was able to smile at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips. "It's alright." I stood and walked towards the door.

"Good night," he said.

I turned back one last time. "Good night."

_**~xXx~**_

**Asuka's POV**

Since the weekdays were starting, we were able to come in a bit later than we do on the weekends. But of course, I come by early anyway. Right now, I was just making myself a simple breakfast, mille crepe. And instead of wearing my headphones, I decided to bring my iPod speakers instead.

"Asuka," I heard Yuca say while I was mixing the batter. "Do you think I can change the song?"

"_Oo naman!"_ I said.

I heard her giggle as I saw her scroll through the list of songs. When I went to go heat up the frying pan, I broke into a huge grin when I heard the familiar keyboard and bass duet. I quickly turned to her to give her a high five.

"_Just a small town girl_," we sang. "_Livin in a lonely world! She took the midnight train goin' anywhere!_" We both giggled. I turned back to the oven to put in the butter and prepare the batter while I listed to Steve Perry sing his heart out.

_Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit! He took the midnight train goin' anywhere!_ The song went on as I cooked.

Just when I finished the third crepe, the music stopped followed by a voice that made me jump, nearly making me burn my fingers on the hot iron pan.

"Don't you think it's a little loud?"

My heart is pounding from the fear of almost getting burned. I turned to Johnny with a tight grip on my hand. "Thanks to you, I almost got burned!"

His face became concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Gee, I don't know, what do you think?" I turned back to the oven and poured my fourth crepe. Damn, of all people to come here this early in the morning, it had to be him.

"It's 5:30," he said. "We're not supposed to come until an hour later. "

"Well, I like to come early. Got a problem? What are you doing here anyway?"

"I thought I'd come by and get myself used to my new surroundings. But I thought I'd have breakfast before I do so."

"I'm not sharing!"

"I know you're not. That's why I brought something."

I turned back to see him removing plastic wrap from a paper plate with two doughnuts. I looked into his light blue eyes. "Your Cowboy doughnuts?"

He smiled. "Glad you remember."

I suddenly turned very happy. "How could I forget!" I gasped. What am I saying?! I turned back to the oven to finish cooking up my breakfast. When I was done, I took all the cooked crepes to the counter, across from Johnny and spread the creme on each layer.

It was quiet and all you can feel is that awkward vibe. Without thinking, I broke the silence by suddenly saying, "I'm sorry. I was harsh last night."

I knew he looked up at me but my head was down, focusing on my work. "It's fine," he said. "I deserved it."

"You did, but I admit that I could have handled it better." I put down my spatula and grabbed a cutting knife. "Like, you show up at the shop, you know Ichigo-chan and Makoto-kun, you want to work here and you asked what was wrong with me? Don't you have any common sense? What did you think was wrong with me? Did you think that I would welcome you back with open arms?"

"I thought you'd understand."

My head jerked up in surprise. "What?"

"You were the one that told me a long time ago that everyone has a reason behind their actions. And I thought you'd understand why I left America."

"But to come back when I finally got my emotions settled?" I said, my voice dropping. "Up until last month when Henri-sensei asked me to come here, I've finally gotten over you!"

"I never asked to come to London out of the blue like this Asuka! And I never asked to meet you again like this, not this way! You know, I actually did plan tp come back to America for a visit, but Miya suddenly told me to come with her to London."

I frowned. "You expect me to believe that?"

Another voice answered him instead. "It is true Celeste. He even told me about it."

I looked at the little Sweets Spirit. "Maize..."

"You want to know what else he told me? He told me how excited he was to see you. Not his parents, not his friends- you.

Johnny drew in a breath. "Maize..."

She ignored him. "He told me as soon as he got back, he would invite your old friends for a party and sleepover. Then the next day, go back to Mr. Cooke's bakery and show the both of you how much he has improved. And at the end of the day, visit your dad's grave."

If Johnny had said that, I might have not believed him, but if it's coming from Maize... I swallowed before speaking. "Is this true?"

"Yes," he told me. "It's true."

I looked at him for a while before sticking my fork into my slice of crepes. After my first bite, I pushed the plate towards him and handed him the knife. He raised his eyebrows. "You're a big boy, you can cut it yourself!"

He chuckled. "I thought you weren't gonna share."

"Take it or leave it!"

He took the knife and put his own slice on his plate. He then took one of his doughnuts and slid it over to me. "Last time you ate it was for your 15th birthday wasn't it?"

I smiled shyly and took it, "Maybe." When I ate it, it tasted exactly how I remembered it: The sweet creme with bits of bitter chocolate for the filling, the fluffy yet crispy doughnut and the sweet glaze that melts in your mouth. "Mmmn," I said. "That brings back memories."

"Does this mean you forgive me?"

I nearly choked on my second bite. "Woah there! This does NOT mean I forgive you for what you've done. But, we're cool for now." I held out my hand. "Let's start out slow for now, okay brother?"

He smiled and shook my hand. "Deal! And by the way..." He reached towards my face and laughed as he wiped leftover flour from the counter on my cheek. "You got something on your face."

I smirked and flicked leftover creme filling from the bowl at him. "So do you!"

Johnny reached toward the open bag of flour and threw it at my face. My mouth hung open in disbelief. "You did not just go there!"

He reached for the flour again. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't but- "

I cut him off by throwing a handful of flour at him followed by the rest of the creme. I laughed but stopped when he stood and walked towards me with more four in his hands. "You asked for it sis!"

_**~xXx~**_

**Ichigo's POV**

Around 6:20, Kashino and I, left for our shop. About half way there, we bumped into Hanabusa-kun. We walked through the Garden's gates, a few shop doors were open to let in some fresh morning air. The sun was beginning to rise but it was still fairly dark so some lights were on.

"Well," I said. "Today's the day."

Kashino groaned. "Please don't remind me."

"I can feel you there Kashino," Chocolate said nodding. "We're gonna be hearing that ear splitting laugh everyday now..."

"And Johnny's annoying self," Kashino added.

"He's not- " I began but Hanabusa-kun cut me off.

"Hold on, why is our shop light on?" He asked.

"Oh, it's probably Asuka-chan," I told him. "She's an early bird and is always there before us."

I think it was my imagination when I saw a small smile appear on his face but I just shook it off. When we got to the shop, we all heard a faint scream inside.

"What was that?" Kashino said on full alert.

Again, we heard the scream followed by Asuka-chan's voice, "Johnny, stop! Stop!"

I heard Vanilla's voice next to me. "Johnny's there?"

I ran forward and burst through the doors, the boys following me. After about 5 steps in we stopped in complete shock. Through the kitchen entrance, we saw Johnny chasing after Asuka-chan and they were completely covered in flour. Even Yuca and Maize were playing along. Johnny laughed as he grabbed Asuka-chan from behind by the waist and lifted her up.

Asuka-chan looked close to tears from laughter. "Put me down! I swear put me down!"

You can see Johnny's face was red through the flour. "And if I don't?" He spun Asuka-chan a few times before they both saw us standing in the dining area. But that didn't stop them. "Hey guys!" Johnny said, trying to keep Asuka-chan from squirming free. "Morning!"

Slowly we walked into the kitchen. There was flour _every where_. The floor mostly, the counter and even the walls. Asuka-chan was still in Johnny's arms and though he wouldn't let go, she managed to get out by sliding up out of his arms and nearly kicked him in the face before doing a 360 degree flip and hitting the floor.

I tore my eyes away from them for a second and looked at Kashino. His face was red, his fists were clenched and he was breathing deeply. Before I could reach out to him, he exploded. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!"

The two of them looked like they were trying to hold in their laughter. "H-he started it," Asuka-chan giggled pointed to Johnny. "We were just eating then he..." She laughed again.

"LOOK AT THIS!" Kashino screamed. "YOU WASTED ALL THIS FLOUR!"

"No it's okay Makoto," Johnny said casually, "We got more bags in the back." Asuka-chan laughed and slapped his shoulder.

"Why are you guys laughing?!"

"Cuz it's normal for us," Asuka-chan told him. "We did this back at our Teacher's bakery all the time. We'd got in trouble too much so we just laugh about it."

Kashino took a step forward and gripped the front of Johnny's shirt. Asuka-chan, Hanabusa-kun and I reacted and tried to pry the two of them from each other.

"Listen," he said very bitterly. "I've had to deal with you for nearly three years and you come back into my life again along with that annoying red-haired brat when it _clearly_ pisses me off!"

"Kashino," I cried. "Stop!"

"Makoto-kun, calm down alright!" Asuka-chan said trying to push him off. "I'll pay for the flour and we'll clean it up!"

"And _you_," he hissed at Asuka-chan. "I am _this_ close from throwing you out the door! Suddenly hiring them like that?! You can't make all the damn choices! I don't care if Koshiro-san made a "deal" with you, that still didn't give you the right to hire them! And you didn't even properly ask us!"

Asuka-chan wasn't affected by his rage. "I did, last night. And last time I check, you did agree."

Kashino released Johnny and walked towards Asuka-chan. He stood very close to her, looking like he was going to seriously hurt her. I quickly pulled Asuka-chan behind my back and Hanabusa-kun grabbed Kashino by the shoulder. The both of them ignored us and pushed us away. Even though Asuka-chan was shorter than Kashino, she looked just as scary as he did.

"You are not gonna fight me are you," Asuka-chan said. "'Cuz if you are, I can kick your ass in less than 5 seconds."

Kashino raised his hand but it didn't seem like he was gonna hit her, he would never do that! With the slightest move of his hand, Asuka-chan reacted and grabbed it. With a firm grip on Kashino's wrist, she jerked him forward and gave him a blow to the stomach. I gasped as Kashino fell to his knees, his arms around his belly. I crouched down next to him and put my arms around him.

"Are you okay?" I whispered.

"I-I'm fine," he stammered, trying to steady his breathing. Chocolat flew up to him with a cup of water. He took it and shot it down his throat.

All of us looked at Asuka-chan, who still had a hard look at his face. We were all so shocked and disappointed. Other than Johnny, we never knew Asuka-chan had this kind of side. I know she probably didn't mean it, but I don't know if I should be against her or not. I was going to say something but her words cut me off.

"You want me out?" She said. "Fine, I'm out!" She turned to the counter to grab her stuff and stomped towards the door. With one last look, she walked out of the shop with a slam of the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Short but a lot of... <em>action<em>. I think this is the only chapter with a little violence and I hope it's the last cuz I don't want this story to be too _extreme_. But I hope you're not too surprised. **

**I hoped you liked it! Leave your reviews and I'll see you next time!**

**-Aoi**


	10. Message from Aoi! - 3

**Hey guys! Aoi has a quick message!**

**I know it's been a while since I've updated! I had to work on my Summer reading reports and some back to school shopping.**

**Speaking of school, I begin my Freshmen year of High School this Friday (9/6)! And you know what that means... :( I know my lovelies, I'm just as upset as you are...**

**BUT, I am currently working on the next chapter so you (might) get it before Friday or the day after since its the weekend. (Still doesn't make sense to me that my first day is on a FRIDAY but meh...)**

**Also after Chapter 8, you'll get an extra/filler chapter! (Once I write it at least)**

**And lastly, I wanna thank you guys, my friends. I have been though a lot these past few years and just going back to writing is such a great feeling. I wanna thank those who have suck with me thick and thin and the ones who have just joined me. I think its safe to say I've come a long way with this story this Summer and it's because of all of those who haven't given up on me. ****You all mean a lot to me and I love you all.**

**So yeah that's all for now!**

**For those who are in school now or are going back to school soon, I wish you the best of luck! We're all gonna need it!**

**- Aoi**


	11. Message from Yuki! - 4

**Uh, hi there! Long time no... Hi. Okay so, this story is, oh my god it's written so horribly! I can't even look back at past chapters! But you know, I still want to finish it. There are things I want to change but it's too late to fix. And... I don't know what to do! And I'm surprised you guys are still reading it, wanting more, and the fact that people just discovered this is literally mind blowing. **

**Anywho, at this point I have no freaking clue. Like I said, I want to finish it, but time has passed, **I sorta grew out of YP (but I still love it deeply), **the plot I thought about in my head when I was a puny 12 year old doesn't make any sense what so ever anymore, and I sorta lost motivation? (In sort, I'm just terribly confused.) And then there's the basic excuses like life and school. Speaking of school, I transferred to a vocational school at the beginning of the school year and you can't imagine the hell I go through in that big campus! XD**

**But yeah, that's that! **

**So I need to make a decision if I want to discontinue this story. I mean one day a year or two from now I might have a sudden update but for now, it's just not happening. So, I'm sorry bout that everyone. But there are better stories out there than mine so don't waste your time being sad, mad, disappointed, etc. with me.**

**I'm always on tumblr so check that out too! (shadowhuntingotaku is my blog name!) **I'm also doing a "many years later YP fanfic" called "Chocolate Princess". I guess you can say it has tiny spoilers from here but it's not very surprising. If you want to, check it out!****

****Until next time,****

****Yuki (did you guys noticed I changed my name too?)****


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